Wild ARMs 5: An Impossible Feat
by SyberiaWinx
Summary: Ten years before the game, Volsung struggles to bridge the gap between humans and Veruni. It's a story with a little bit of everything, as bonds are made and strength is tested.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave a few plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter One**

"Half-breed!!" the villagers yelled in anger.

"Kill him! Kill the filthy half-breed!!" another yelled scornfully, with a pitchfork raised.

"Burn him until there is nothing left of him!! He is a sinful half-breed!!" a third villager yelled, full of prejudice.

"No! Don't!" yelled a young thirteen year old child.

"Throw him out of the village! He brings shame and misfortune to us all!" an elderly man yelled.

"Let's force him out!!!"

"Yeah!!!"

The villagers banded together and picked up a bundle of sticks. They lit them on fire and waved them at the boy. The flames were intense, and they burned his cheek. The boy did not know what he had done wrong; he was a half-breed, born of a human mother and a Veruni father. In the world of Filgaia, half-breeds were filthy creatures, that did not have enough worth to be fully human or Veruni.

The child fell to his knees. "Please! Stop! I just want Veruni and humans to get along!"

"We aren't listening to you, you filthy half-breed!" the villager with a pitchfork said.

"Burn him!! Burn the half-breed!!"

"Kill him!"

"Exile him from the village!!"

"Stop! Stop!!" the thirteen year old boy yelled, while gripping the top of his head.

"STOP!!!" another boy yelled, about the age of fourteen, running in front of the half-breed boy with his arms out in a stopping gesture.

"Get out of our way, Fereydoon!" yelled the prejudicial villager.

"No! I cannot let this happen!" Fereydoon yelled in response.

The villagers waved their torches in front of the boy threateningly.

"Stop, I said!" Fereydoon yelled.

The villagers began picking up rocks and throwing them at the boy. Fereydoon stood in front of him, his arms out, taking the blows without a word.

"Fereydoon, what are you doing…?" the boy asked, incredulously.

"Why are you protecting the half-breed, Fereydoon? He will bring misfortune and shame to our village!" the elderly man yelled.

"I'm protecting him because it is my duty." Fereydoon responded. He continued to take the blows of the rocks being thrown at him, without looking at the villagers. The boy, who was behind Fereydoon in tears, his clothes charred from the searing flames of the torches of the prejudicial villagers, stared at the northeastern gate. He knew that, if Fereydoon continued to take the blows, he could get away from the prejudicial villagers. The boy stood up and ran as fast as his legs could take him, to the northeast gate of Twelbit, which led him into a small plaza.

"Hey!! The half-breed is getting away!!" yelled the scornful villager with a pitchfork.

Fereydoon turned around and stared, looking for the boy. When he noticed he was gone, he turned back to the villagers.

"Now look what you did, you stupid brat!!" yelled the prejudicial villager, pushing Fereydoon down on the ground.

Fereydoon fell, and stood up, his knee skinned and bloody.

"Fereydoon isn't our enemy. Our enemy is the half-breed!" the scornful villager yelled.

"Yeah!!" the elderly man yelled.

The villagers, all agreeing with each other, ran past Fereydoon with their torches ablaze and to the northeast gate of Twelbit.

"There's nowhere to go, half-breed!! Accept your fate and die!" the elderly man yelled, a slight intonation of hatred in his voice.

The boy looked around, while staring at the angry villagers, with their torches ablaze and ready to kill the boy.

Fereydoon ran to the northwest gate and around the path in the plaza that made a semicircle. He met the boy and the angry villagers, who were raising their torches and turning their weapons into stabbing positions.

"This way! Quickly!" he yelled, running towards the gates of a large mansion.

The boy glanced at the angry villagers, and without a moment of thought, ran after Fereydoon to the mansion.

"Stop them! If he goes into Lady Diana's mansion, there will be nothing we can do!!" the prejudicial villager yelled.

"Burn the mansion!!" yelled the scornful villager.

"You idiot! We can't do that!" yelled the prejudicial villager.

"But he'll get away!!!" yelled the scornful villager. "If Lady Diana protects him, then she's just as bad as he is!"

The villagers turned to each other to argue. In the meantime, Fereydoon pushed open the gates to the large mansion, and signaled to the boy to follow him. The boy ran after him and Fereydoon closed the gates. Together, they ran up the immensely long path and up the set of stairs leading to the mansion entrance.

Fereydoon opened the doors of the mansion and ran inside, followed by the boy. He then closed the doors, leaving the angry villagers behind to argue amongst themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave a few plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Two**

The villagers, with their torches in hand, debated about what to do. Some agreed with the scornful villager, and some agreed with the prejudicial one, but they were all equally confused. Lady Diana was protecting a half-breed…that was the equivalent of a sin!

"It's unanimous. We have to do something!" the scornful villager said, with a large hint of justice in his voice.

"Hold on!" The prejudicial villager yelled, walking in front of the scornful one. "You can't just barge in there! That's trespassing! You'll be arrested for sure, you crazy idiot!"

"But…the half-breed!" the scornful villager started to say. The others felt a speech coming on, but the prejudicial villager cut it short.

"But nothing. He can't stay in there forever, you know. He has to come out sometime…" the prejudicial villager remarked.

The scornful villager glanced at the other villager's faces. He then nodded, and sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Let's disperse for now! We'll get the filthy half-breed later!"

The villagers all responded, quickly forming into a riot. They then dispersed, leaving nothing behind but the small charred remains of the half-breed boy's clothes.

Fereydoon sat down at a large dining table. The boy sat down adjacent to him, across from an elderly woman. The room was very large, with yellow regal wallpaper. There were glasses on the table with Johnny Appleseed in them. A scrumptious dinner had been prepared for the three of them, assorted noodles with steak and rice.

"Are you all right, Volsung?" asked the elderly woman, taking a small sip of her Johnny Appleseed.

"Yes, ma'am." Volsung replied, staring at his steak.

Fereydoon took a bite of his steak and smiled at the elderly woman.

"How is it, Fereydoon? I told the chef to use less seasoning this time." The elderly woman said.

"It's terrific, Lady Diana." Fereydoon replied, with a strong sense of respect.

"Please, Fereydoon, call me grandmother. You don't need to be so formal around me." Lady Diana replied.

"It is not my place to call you that, Lady Diana." Fereydoon replied.

Lady Diana sighed, and took a small sip of her Johnny Appleseed. She smiled at Volsung, "Go on and eat, Volsung. You will find it to be quite delightful."

Volsung stared at Lady Diana, and at the steak. He nodded, and picked up the knife and fork next to his plate. Slowly, he stabbed the fork into the steak and began cutting a small piece off with the knife. He looked at it, as if inspecting it. Once his inspection was complete, he took a bite and smiled. It truly was fantastic. It had just the right seasoning, and was cooked just right, as well. The chef at Lady Diana's mansion was a renowned one, who had opened several restaurants in Filgaia, including one in Harmonde. The restaurant was bought out by a young youth in Harmonde who had aspired to become a chef, and the renowned chef settled in at the Rygs Mansion, where he prepared meals for Fereydoon and Lady Diana, and at some times, Volsung.

"How is it?" Lady Diana asked.

Volsung smiled. "It's very good."

"Francoise will be delighted to hear that you like it, Volsung. And you as well, Fereydoon." Lady Diana said, with a smile.

Fereydoon nodded, and took a small sip of his Johnny Appleseed.

Volsung just stared at it.

"Is there something wrong, Volsung?" Lady Diana asked.

"Is it really okay for me to drink this? I mean…it is a Veruni drink…I'm just a half-breed…" Volsung replied, a small hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Oh nonsense, Volsung. You know as well as I that it does not matter if you are a half-breed or not. In this house, you are Fereydoon's friend, and you will be treated as such." Lady Diana said, with a nod. "And that includes the privilege to drink Johnny Appleseed."

Volsung examined the kindness in her words. After thinking long and hard, he came to the conclusion that she was right. Outside, he was worthless. He was Volsung, the half-breed, the outcast…the stranger…the one to bring shame to Twelbit, but in the Rygs Mansion, Volsung was an equal, he was worth something, and most of all, he was Fereydoon's friend. It was the second time in his life that he had felt like he was worth something; the first being when his parents told him that he would be the one to bridge the gap between the humans and Veruni. An impossible feat for most people, the majority of which failed miserably and were forced to lead inadequate, crestfallen lives.

He lifted the glass of Johnny Appleseed and looked into it. It was a dark red liquid, but smelled absolutely delicious. He took a sip of his Johnny Appleseed and smiled. He instantly understood why it was a Veruni drink; it was phenomenal. Truly, it was the work of a wine creating master. He was very glad he had taken a sip of it; it may be the only time in his life that he would be able to. Deep down in his heart he knew that the villagers were mounting an offensive attack; deep down, he knew they were going to storm the Rygs Mansion.

He smiled at Lady Diana, displaying his gratitude.

Lady Diana nodded, and took a small sip of her Johnny Appleseed. Fereydoon took a bite of his steak. The three ate while the clock ticked in the corner of the room. Each tick rang in another moment that Volsung was alive…another moment that he could feel Lady Diana's kindness.

A man walked in, in all white, with a chef's hat. "I trust everything was to your liking, Lady Diana?"

Lady Diana smiled at the man and nodded. "It was fantastic, Francoise. I thank you, as do Fereydoon and Volsung."

Francoise bowed, "I live to cook for you, Lady Diana. I will take your plates and glasses now."

He walked over to Lady Diana and took her plate and her glass, and placed it on a serving cart. He did the same with Fereydoon, and walked over to Volsung. He picked up his plate and attempted to take the glass of Johnny Appleseed. Volsung tried to hold onto the heavenly beverage, begging for one more sip of it. He looked at Lady Diana.

"Francoise, could you please let Volsung have one more sip of his Johnny Appleseed?" Lady Diana asked, with a smile.

Francoise nodded, "Of course, Lady Diana."

Volsung picked up the glass and took a small sip. Satisfied, he put the glass on the serving cart. Francoise wheeled the cart away and closed the door leading to the kitchen.

-

He stared at the clock with a hidden horror. It was almost 7:00. The villagers would commence their attack soon, if they were to attack at all. He waited silently at the table, with Lady Diana and Fereydoon. He wanted this moment in Rygs Mansion to last forever. The clock continued to tick, seconds turning into minutes. At precisely 7:05, Lady Diana stood up and smiled, "It is time for me to retire. You boys should do the same, soon."

Fereydoon nodded, "Goodnight, Lady Diana."

Lady Diana smiled at Fereydoon, "Goodnight, Fereydoon."

Slowly, yet gracefully, she walked out of the room and up the stairs towards her bedroom.

Volsung stared at Fereydoon. "Fereydoon, I don't know ho-"

Fereydoon nodded. "There is no thanks needed, Volsung. It was my duty to save you, after all, you are to bridge the gap between humans and Veruni."

Volsung smiled, and nodded.

Deep down in his heart, he wanted that to be true.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave a few plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Three**

The thunder lashed out, loud and frightful, as the rain poured down the windows of Rygs Mansion. Volsung and Fereydoon were sitting in the living room, discussing their futures, fears, and what they would do when they get older. The time was roughly 8:30 now, and a quiet calmness had settled in over the town of Twelbit.

"My biggest fear would have to be betraying my duty." Fereydoon announced, sitting in a comfortable chair made of teak. It was adorned with yellow cushions at the back and the seat of the chair, and had been polished recently, so it emitted a shining exterior.

Volsung was sitting across from him, on a regal sofa, which had a small table next to it with a lamp on top of it. He responded, "My biggest fear would have to be…being exiled from the village." As he said these words, he felt a sort of uneasy feeling. He couldn't identify the feeling, but it gave him an unpleasant thought in his mind. He looked around the room, waiting for Fereydoon to answer. There were bookshelves along the walls, sitting next to a large map of Filgaia. Most of the books had to do with the history of the planet, as well as small historical documents on bits and pieces of the history of the Veruni.

Fereydoon stared long and hard at Volsung, formulating a response. He replied, after a few minutes had passed, "…that won't happen. I will see to it. Protecting you is my duty."

Volsung stared at him and smiled. After a few moments had passed, he looked down at the carpet, which was a dark burgundy color. "Hey Fereydoon…" he said slowly, "…what are you going to do when you get older?"

Fereydoon stared and replied, "I'm going to become a soldier, of course."

Volsung stared at him. He had predicted that answer, of course.

"What are you going to do, Volsung?" Fereydoon asked in response.

Volsung smiled and replied, "I'm going to bridge the gap between the humans and the Veruni. I'm going to become a legend…"

"A…legend?" Fereydoon asked.

Volsung nodded. "I'm going to see to it that nobody has to go through what I had to go through earlier today. Human, half-breed, or Veruni, I will see to it that they are all accepted."

"That won't be an easy task…people's minds aren't so easily swayed. You will have to do a great deal of work towards that task…you will have to face a great amount of discrimination and hatred…are you sure you can handle that, Volsung?" Fereydoon asked him, wisely.

Volsung stared at him, and slowly tilted his head down towards the floor. It took him a few moments to respond. As he did, a bolt of lightning struck. "It will be a difficult task…and as you said, I will probably be attacked, spit on, and cursed at, but I know I can do it. I will bridge the gap between the humans and Veruni and create a new path for the world to follow…one that isn't controlled by hatred and discrimination."

Fereydoon stared at him for a moment. He thought about what Volsung had said. He debated whether or not Volsung could accomplish such a thing. He was not the type to overcome hatred; if anything, he was the type to succumb to the hatred and lose sight of himself. It was then that Fereydoon decided Volsung could not accomplish this feat alone, he would need help. And so, Fereydoon responded, "It will be a difficult task to do alone. As your friend and as a soldier, I swear my loyalty to your cause."

Volsung blinked at him in pure disbelief. "Swear your loyalty….to my cause? But Fereydoon…"

Fereydoon smiled at Volsung, "We're friends, aren't we? I am a soldier, as well. Any soldier worth his character would ally himself with your cause. It is an admirable one, and it is the only way to truly change the way the world works."

Volsung stared at him and flashed him a smile, "Thank you, Fereydoon…"

Fereydoon nodded, and the clock began to chime. "Is it 9:00 already? It seems we've been talking for longer than I thought."

Volsung stared and nodded. "The rain seems to have stopped…"

Fereydoon looked out the window. The exterior was filled with droplets of rain, but other than that, the rain had stopped, and so had the thunder. "Odd…"

Volsung looked at him. "What is it?"

Fereydoon turned back to Volsung, "I see an odd flicker of light from the southwest gate…"

Outside the Rygs Mansion, the scornful villager was rallying support. He had a torch in his hand and he was ranting about how Lady Diana was corrupt, and how if she chooses to harbor a half-breed in her mansion, that she is just as bad as he is.

Among the rallied villagers were the elderly man, a man in a chef's hat, and a farmer.

"Francoise is the gate unlocked?" asked the scornful villager.

Francoise nodded. "Master Fereydoon and the half-breed are in the living room. Lady Diana is asleep. Now is the perfect time to mount an attack."

"They're together, are they? Maybe we should just kill both of them." The farmer said, with a pitchfork raised to enforce his comment.

"No. We will only kill the half-breed." Replied the scornful villager, a torch in his hands.

Francoise turned to the scornful villager, "I hope no harm will come to Lady Diana?"

The scornful villager stared in disbelief, "By joining our cause you've put a hole in her heart that won't be repaired. It's too late for lamenting."

Francoise did not respond. He just turned his view back to the mansion gates.

The elderly man spoke now. "We better do this quick before that prejudicial fellow gets up."

"Indeed." Replied the scornful villager, "We will attack under the cover of the night. Our objective is to find the half-breed, and kill him. If anybody gets in our way, kill them as well."

The farmer smiled. "Understood."

Francoise nodded slowly, full of sorrow.

"Then onward!! We shall attack Rygs Mansion!!"

"Yeah!"

The villagers and Francoise charged forward, towards the northwest gate. Once they had passed through it, they began marching towards the Rygs Mansion.

"What's that noise?" Volsung asked, curiously.

Fereydoon looked out the window, clearly amazed by what he saw. "W…what in the world!?"

Volsung ran over to the window, noting the concern in Fereydoon's voice. He stared in horror as the villagers opened the gate and began marching towards the Rygs Mansion.

"Why are they doing this!?" Volsung asked, incredulously.

"I would say they've deemed Lady Diana as a traitor…this is bad." Fereydoon said, walking to the center of the room.

"What do we do? They'll be here any minute!!" Volsung said, the fear in his voice rising.

"Calm down. We will be fine. We'll use the secret passage across the hall."

"Secret passage?" Volsung asked, his curiosity rising.

Fereydoon nodded. "Follow me!" he said, and the two ran quickly out of the room. As they ran across the hall, the main doors to the Rygs Mansion flew open. The scornful villager's voice filled the mansion.

"HALF-BREED!! COME OUT, OR WE WILL BURN THIS MANSION DOWN!!" he yelled, much anger and hatred in his voice.

"Damn!" Fereydoon yelled, coming to a screeching halt.

"They're blocking the right corridor!" Volsung said.

"Perhaps we can distract them…"

"How?" Volsung asked.

"Hey!! There they are!!" yelled the farmer.

Fereydoon stared into the main lobby of Rygs Mansion, along with Volsung. The four men began to block the exit from the living room.

"Volsung, get behind me." Fereydoon said.

Volsung nodded, and took a new position behind Fereydoon.

"What is the meaning of this? You realize this is strictly-"

"Silence. We don't want to hear any of your crap, pal. The bottom line is you are a traitor, as well as Lady Diana." The scornful villager replied, with a snarl.

"What have we done wrong? We were shielding Volsung, who you were trying to kill for no good reason. It is my duty to protect him." Fereydoon replied.

"Humph." The farmer stated, arming himself with the pitchfork.

Francoise tried to remain out of sight, but it was too late. Fereydoon saw him.

"Francoise! What have you done!?" Fereydoon asked, incredulously.

Francoise responded, "With all due respect, Master Fereydoon, this boy is a half-breed. It is illegal for them to associate with Veruni such as ourselves."

"Ah screw this! This is pointless! Kill both of them!!" the scornful villager said.

The elderly man and the farmer nodded. They began to move closely towards Volsung and Fereydoon.

Fereydoon stared, amazed at how far they were willing to go.

Volsung began to shiver, and fell on his knees.

The villagers ran at him, with their torches up and their weapons out. Just as the farmer was about to stab him, a voice filled the room.

"That is quite enough!!"

The four men whirled around and stared into the main lobby. Lady Diana stood in front of them, and behind her were at least twenty five armed guards, with weapons pointed at the four of them.

"Humph…" the farmer said, with his pitchfork raised.

"Francoise…how could you?"

Francoise did not respond. He stared at the floor, the shame and sorrow welling up within him.

The scornful villager looked at the guards, and at Lady Diana. "Lady Diana, we've deemed you as a traitor. You were harboring a half-breed in your mansion, protecting him. Half-breeds aren't allowed in our society."

"Volsung is not a half-breed, at least not in this mansion. He is an equal. What you are doing is illegal and uncalled for; I implore you to cease this foolishness immediately." Lady Diana replied.

"THC…" the farmer said. "I say we kill them all."

The scornful villager debated whether or not to fight. "I am a proud Veruni citizen. I was raised to believe half-breeds were filthy, shameful people and to treat them as such. I'm not just going to throw that aside because you tell me to."

In the midst of the chaos, nobody, save for Lady Diana, had noticed that Volsung and

Fereydoon had left the room and had gone through the door leading to the right wing of the Rygs Mansion.

The elderly man conceded. "I surrender! Please! Have mercy on me, Lady Diana! This man said that you were evil!"

Lady Diana nodded.

"You damn traitor!" the farmer yelled, and immediately ran at the man.

"STOP!!" Lady Diana yelled. However, it was too late. As soon as Lady Diana had yelled, the farmer stabbed his pitchfork through the elderly man. Blood spilled onto the floor of the Rygs Mansion, and the elderly man fell to the floor, injured.

The scornful villager saw this as his time to act. He quickly ran at Lady Diana and swung a knife at her, but one of the guards kneed him in the gut, causing him to fall to the floor, as well.

Francoise saw this as his opportunity to retreat. He ran swiftly out the main doors and down the paved path until he had blended into the plaza.

"After him." Lady Diana said, and ten guards ran out of the mansion to comb the village.

One of the guards arrested the farmer, who was full of resistance.

"Take this man to a medical professional," Lady Diana said, "this has gotten out of hand."

Two of the guards nodded, and picked the elderly man up and walked out of the mansion, towards the plaza.

"The rest of you, ensure that there is nobody else around or inside the mansion."

The remainder of the guards nodded, and charged off into various areas around and inside the mansion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave a few plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Four**

Volsung and Fereydoon walked into the room at the end of the corridor. It was a small room, with wooden flooring. There were small bookshelves around with a family picture on one of them, and a wardrobe in the left corner.

"Where are we?" asked Volsung, looking around, paying particular attention to the window on the right side of the room.

"This is just a side room we keep old records in. Underneath it is a place known as the Isolated Path. It leads out to the desert, a ways from town." Replied Fereydoon.

"Oh…I see." Volsung stated, looking around the room.

Fereydoon rummaged through one of the bookshelves and took out a large, hand-bound record book. He blew the dust off of it, and opened it up. "If I remember correctly…"

Suddenly, a rock flew through the right window and hit Volsung in the head.

"OW!!!" Volsung yelled, and fell to his knees, gripping his head.

"Damn!!" Fereydoon said, walking over to the window.

A rock hit him, as well, but he blocked it with the hand-bound record book.

Just then, Fereydoon heard a creaking sound, and felt someone throw something at him.

He whirled around and stared at the wardrobe. There was a figure standing outside of it, wearing one of the Rygs Mansion guard uniforms.

"Soldier, just what do you think you're doing?!" Fereydoon yelled.

The figure took off its mask, revealing that he was none other than the prejudicial villager.

Fereydoon shot him an evil glare.

At that moment, someone busted through the window, and snatched Volsung.

Fereydoon yelled, "STOP!!!"

The assailant, who was identified as a man who sold items at the item shop, smashed the door leading into the right hallway with his left shoulder, and when it fell to the floor, ran out of the room with Volsung.

"Damn!!" Fereydoon yelled.

The prejudicial villager raised another rock. Fereydoon quickly smacked him with the hand-bound book, which, after the man hit the floor, quickly broke into pieces. Unable to worry about the damage to the precious family heirloom, Fereydoon pursued the assailant to the main lobby of Rygs Mansion, where Lady Diana was nowhere to be found. He observed the assailant running quickly through the main doors and down the paved path, and into the plaza. Swiftly he followed him, and under the guise of night, lost him.

Fereydoon looked around. Surely the man didn't take Volsung into the desert! After a few moments of searching and pondering, Fereydoon noticed something odd in the air.

The temperature was rapidly increasing, and he started to smell smoke. There was a red glow coming from the entrance of the town.

Without a moment to spare, Fereydoon dashed towards one of the gates. He was greeted with more of the Rygs Mansion guards.

"You've betrayed us!?" Fereydoon yelled, incredulously.

The guards looked at each other and smirked. They threw the torches they had in their hands at Fereydoon, who backed away only to see the northeast gate catch on fire.

"What is the meaning of this!? Soldier! I demand an answer!" Fereydoon yelled, the anger rising in his voice. It was then that Fereydoon saw a horrible sight. There was a large log, or wooden pole protruding from the ground, and Volsung was tied to it. Around him were Francoise, more of the Rygs Mansion guards, and other villagers. The assailant was in the center of the crowd, with a torch lit.

"Stop this immediately!!!" Fereydoon yelled, with much force in his voice. The fire on the northeastern gate began to spread, and he observed his shoe catch on fire. Quickly he took it off and threw it into the plaza pond, where it sunk. And then, Fereydoon got an idea. He noticed the soldiers and villagers start to light torches all around Volsung.

Volsung, who was staring at the ground, crestfallen, felt one of the embers singe his cheek.

Fereydoon quickly dashed to the Rygs Mansion and retrieved a bucket. He then gathered water from the pond and threw it on the fire at the northeastern gate. The fire quickly burned out, and the Rygs Mansion guards stared at him.

Acting quickly, Fereydoon kicked one of the guards in the face, which flew into the crowd and smacked into the pole which Volsung was tied upon. The other guard stared at Fereydoon and unsheathed his sword, and swung at Fereydoon. While he swung, Fereydoon greeted him in the face with a painful smacking with the wooden bucket. The guard fell to the floor quietly, his sword clanging to the ground. Fereydoon walked slowly through the northeastern gate and took cover beside the bakery shop. He stared into the town entrance, which was filled with rebellion and insurgency. To the right of the pole, against a house, was Lady Diana, clearly knocked out.

The rallying continued, and grew more uncontrollable. People began chanting "Kill the half-breed! Kill the half-breed!" as if it were some kind of unorthodox cheer. The assailant slowly walked to Volsung, who was still staring at the ground, a small river of blood pouring down his cheek from the wound on his head.

Quickly, Fereydoon had to formulate a plan, or Volsung would surely die. On the counter in the bakery kiosk, he spied a knife. It was rather risky, but he had little choice at this point. Fereydoon aimed carefully, so as to not hit Volsung and cut off his hand. He knew he had only one chance at this.

After he had targeted the ropes binding Volsung's body, he quickly threw the knife, which stabbed into the pole close to Volsung's abdomen, cutting the ropes. Volsung fell to the ground. The villagers didn't care, they all threw in their torches at the pole, hoping to burn Volsung's body with it. Volsung looked around horrified, the blaze closing in on him. He was almost surrounded by it. There was a small area that was completely free of the flames that he could attempt to fit through. He took a deep breath, and ran through it.

As he did, one of the villagers, clearly enraged, grabbed a knife and slashed at his leg.

Blood began to pour from the wound, but Volsung continued running, until he was away from the fire. Fereydoon met up with him half-way, and the two of them left through the northwest gate.

"STOP THEM!! THEY ARE GETTING AWAY!!! BURN THE TOWN GATES!! KILL THEM!!" yelled the assailant.

As Fereydoon and Volsung emerged from the northwest gate, they stared at the raging fire that had engulfed the northern gate leading out to the desert, and salvation. It was clear that the villagers were done being nice; they really were going to kill both of them.

The villagers began to close in on the two of them, with pitchforks and knives and farming scythes, until they were completely surrounded with no escape.

"If they won't die peacefully, we'll impale them here!" yelled the assailant.

The villagers all chanted in agreement, and raised their pitchforks, knives and farming scythes, as if to impale the two. It was now that Volsung decided that he had had enough. Fereydoon had done his part, now it was Volsung's turn. Quickly, Volsung kneeled down and performed a leg sweep on one of the villagers, who Fereydoon smacked in the face with the wooden bucket. The villager dropped his scythe and fell onto the floor, and Volsung and Fereydoon ran through the newly created path, and once again through the northwest gate.

"AFTER THEM!!!" The assailant yelled, and charged after them followed by the angry villagers.

Volsung and Fereydoon increased their speed until they were at the gate leading out of the town.

"Fereydoon…"

"Now is not the time!! Lets go!!" Fereydoon yelled, and ran through the gate.

Volsung nodded, but tripped on his way out.

"Your wound…its getting bad…" Fereydoon said.

Volsung nodded a bit, staring at his wound.

Fereydoon lifted him up and, with his two hands, carried him, while running out of the village.

The villagers stopped at the gate.

"Let them go…" the assailant said, with a wicked smile. "They'll be dead by sunup. Nobody survives the desert…and the monsters near the train station are just as deadly…"

The villagers agreed, and dispersed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave a few plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made this chapter harder to read. We'll be getting to the chapters that I worked more on soon, so don't worry.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Five**

Fereydoon ran with Volsung a little ways out of the village and down the paved sidewalk, which snaked to the right around a large mountain, and stopped. He whirled around and looked to see if any suspicious characters were following him. When his suspicions were found incorrect, he laid Volsung down on the paved sidewalk, and kneeled down to inspect his wound. It was a large cut on his leg, which was still bleeding heavily. The bottom of Volsung's pant leg was completely covered in blood. His cheek was bleeding, as well. His clothes were torn, and charred at the sleeves. His hand had a small cut, as well, and his forehead was bleeding. It was clear that Volsung needed a doctor.

Fereydoon now had a new problem to solve, how would they get to a doctor's office? They would need to take the train, and certainly, Volsung would not be allowed on after the skirmishes in the town. The nearest doctor was in the city of Laila Belle, and it was a long ways away from Twelbit. They were only teenagers, forced out of their home. Where would they go? Would they die? If they died, Volsung wouldn't be able to accomplish his mission. The world wouldn't change, and that's just what the cruel hearts of Twelbit wanted. Was it even possible for children as young as they were to go all the way to Laila Belle? Would the discrimination increase there? Neither of them had ever been, so they had no idea what was waiting on the other side of the train tracks.

Unbeknownst to them, the discrimination would quickly worsen.

At this time, Volsung had gotten up and slowly tried to walk forward towards the train station.

Fereydoon walked in front of him, "Stop. Don't push yourself."

Volsung stared at him, "W…we have to get to the train station…before…"

Fereydoon looked at Volsung oddly. "Volsung? Are you all right?"

Volsung suddenly began to tumble to the ground.

"VOLSUNG!!" Fereydoon yelled, catching him in his arms.

Volsung did not respond. His eyes were closed, and his cheeks were pale. Quickly, his condition was worsening from the blood loss. Fereydoon sighed. He took a small hunting knife and used it to cut part of Volsung's sleeve. He then proceeded to wrap the sleeve around Volsung's head wound. Afterwards, he cut part of the right sleeve, and used that to wrap his leg wound. He picked him up once more, and proceeded to walk forward towards the train station, despite how tired his body was.

After about an hour of walking (he knew because of the chiming clock in Twelbit that could be heard even in the depths of the Isolated Path), he reached a small set of stairs leading up to a rather normal looking building. It was made of wood, and there was a large sign hanging above the double doors reading "Alcedonia". He had remembered from one of the geographical books in Rygs Mansion that Alcedonia was the train station in the Twelbit area. He had also remembered that the one he needed to arrive at to get to Laila Belle was Provectas.

"Hang in there Volsung…we will be fine soon." Fereydoon said, and walked up the stairs, pushing the left of the double doors open with his body.

As he walked up the stairs leading into the small interior of the station, people stared at Volsung. They began to converse amongst themselves in a rude way. Fereydoon ignored them, and walked over to the large map hanging on the south wall. There were five train stations: Cavam Valley, in the Mirapulse area, Provectas in the Laila Belle area, Orsaeos in the Gounon area, Meisis in the Honeyday area, and lastly, Alcedonia in the Twelbit area. Fereydoon traced a path from Alcedonia to Provectas. It was indeed a long one, considering Laila Belle and Provectas were in northeast Filgaia, and Twelbit and Alcedonia were in southwest Filgaia. Once Fereydoon had charted his destination, he walked over, with Volsung, to the conductor.

"May I help you?" The conductor, a man in a green uniform with a very bad haircut, asked.

"Yes. I need two tickets to Provectas, please." Fereydoon replied to the man.

The conductor glanced from Volsung to Fereydoon and raised his eyebrow. "Is _he_ going with you?" '_He'_ obviously referred to Volsung.

"Yes. Is there a problem?" asked Fereydoon to the man.

"…" the man did not offer a response.

"…" Fereydoon did the same.

"Sir…"

"Please listen to me. He will die soon. We need a doctor, quickly."

"And why do you not go to Twelbit?" the conductor asked, putting Fereydoon in check.

Fereydoon noticed this, and quickly formulated a response. "The doctor in Twelbit is out on official business in Harmonde."

"Harmonde, eh." Asked the conductor, doubting the truth in Fereydoon's words. "And why's he there?"

"A young boy almost drowned in the water there." Replied Fereydoon.

"Oh yeah. I heard about that, poor little boy. Well, that makes sense. I suppose your reason checks out."

"Why do I need a reason to get on the train? I am a Veruni citizen. My business is my own."

"…look pal. Don't think I don't know about all the ruckus you caused in Gounon."

"Gounon?" Fereydoon asked, with a misunderstanding blink.

"Yeah. The wine thieving…look, I won't say anything so long as you share some with me…" the conductor responded, with a wink.

Fereydoon was absolutely confused. He quickly desired to get away from the idiot in the green uniform.

"Right…can I go now?" Fereydoon asked.

The conductor nodded, and handed him two tickets to Provectas.

Fereydoon walked past him and boarded the train, along with Volsung in his arms.

Behind Fereydoon was a figure in a black cloak. He walked up to the conductor.

The conductor stared at him, "Can I help you, sir?"

The man nodded. "Where's the train goin'?"

"It is bound for Provectas at this time, sir." Replied the conductor.

"All right. Gimme a ticket…"

"May I see some ID, sir?" asked the conductor.

The man nodded, and took out a wallet with his ID inside. The conductor examined it and nodded as well. "It all checks out," he responded, handing the man a ticket.

The man in black smirked, and walked past him, getting on the train.

"All right, that's the last of them. Close it up." The conductor stated, and got inside the train, closing the door behind him.

The train slowly began to start, its pistons began to move, and it began to depart from the station.

Two people ran over to the platform as it left.

"Damn! We didn't get here in time." One said, hitting his palm with his closed fist.

The second one didn't respond.

"May I help you, gentlemen?" asked a Veruni guard, walking over to the two.

"Yes." The first man replied. "There's been talk of a bomb on the train."

The Veruni guard raised his right eyebrow. "A bomb, you say?"

The second man nodded.

"And how can you prove this? There is no way to obtain explosives in Twelbit, and surely not in the desert. The only place one could obtain such items is Mirapulse or Laila Belle, and if those people had come through the checkpoint and gotten on the train, they easily would have been stopped. Explosives are illegal in Filgaia without explicit permission." The Veruni guard replied, a mocking tone in his voice.

"You're so sure of your security system, aren't you? There are ways of slipping through the government's eyes." Replied the first man.

"Tch…" the Veruni guard said.

"Now stop that train, before everyone on it is blown to bits!" replied the first man.

"…what's your name, pal?" asked the Veruni.

The first man gulped.

The second man did not answer.

"Must we waste our time with pointless semantics? People's lives are at stake, here!" replied the first man.

"Yeah, says the crazy man with the green hair." Replied the Veruni guard.

"…"

The second man didn't answer.

Meanwhile, on the train, Fereydoon was settling into his own private cabin. He closed the partition door leading into the hallway, and laid Volsung down on a couch.

"Nngh…"

Fereydoon stared at Volsung, who began to come around.

Volsung sat up and looked around the room. "Where are we?"

"We're on a train to Provectas Station. We're going to go to Laila Belle and get a doctor to look at your wounds." Fereydoon responded.

"Laila Belle… the town is too big. We'll be found there." Volsung replied.

"With all due respect, Volsung…no, Lord Volsung…"

Volsung looked at him oddly. "L…Lord?"

Fereydoon nodded. "I am your servant now. I am going to assist you in bridging the gap between human and Veruni. You are my Lord."

Volsung did not respond.

"In any case, with all due respect Lord Volsung, we need to get you help before we begin worrying about where to hide."

Volsung nodded. "I agree…"

"There is water on the table if you would like some." Fereydoon said.

"Are you sure it is not poisoned?" Volsung asked, with a chuckle, even though he was serious.

"I highly doubt anyone on this train knows who we are. The conductor thought I was a wine smuggler from Gounon…" Fereydoon replied, with a chuckle.

Volsung laughed and smiled. "Thanks for carrying me here, Fereydoon…"

Fereydoon shook his head. "It is my duty to see that you survive."

Volsung looked around the room. There was a window at the back of the room, but they were in a tunnel, so not much scenery could be seen, save for black bricks and unkempt tracks. "So it's only going to get harder from here, huh…"

"Yes…" replied Fereydoon.

Volsung sighed. "I'm glad you're here."

"Naturally. I am a soldier." Fereydoon replied.

A few minutes passed on the train, until they emerged from the tunnel and into actual wilderness. The tracks were high above ground. They could see the town of Mirapulse from out the window. "I'm hungry." Volsung said.

Fereydoon stared at a clock. It was 11:30 at night. "Hmm… it has been a while since we ate. I will see if there is anything in the dining car."

Volsung nodded, and Fereydoon opened the partition door and walked into the hallway, closing it behind him.

Fereydoon walked along the hallway until he reached a door that connected the first-class passenger car with the dining car. There was a small window on the door to see through to the dining car. Fereydoon raised his eyebrow as he saw the man in black pass the window, and walk towards the second car.

"Suspicious…" Fereydoon remarked, and waited until the man went through the door to open the door to the dining car. He walked into the center of it and looked around. There was nothing amiss in the room. He walked over to the door leading to the second car, and stared at the man in black through the small window. He had forced open the door that they had entered the train through, and walked out of it, disappearing. Fereydoon quickly opened the door leading to the second cart and walked through it, and over to the door the man in black had opened. Tactfully, he poked his head out of it and looked to the right, where he saw an iron ladder. Fereydoon grabbed the ladder with one of his hands, and hoisted himself onto it with the other. He climbed up the ladder until he reached the top of the train, which luckily for Fereydoon was not moving very fast. He saw the man in black walking across the roof of the train over to the third car, where Volsung and Fereydoon were. It was now that Fereydoon noticed something strange. The only two people on the train, besides himself and Volsung, were this man and the conductor. Where were the others?

Fereydoon followed the man in black, keeping his distance so as to not alert him to his presence. The man in black stomped one of his steel-toed boots on one of the panels in the roof, and fell through it.

It was now that Fereydoon understood his goal. He was looking for Volsung.

"A villager, perhaps?" Fereydoon asked himself as he walked cautiously across the roof of the train.

He reached the hole in the roof, and jumped into the third car once more.

Volsung was sitting peacefully in his private quarters, sipping some of the mineral water on the table. His wounds had stopped bleeding now, mostly thanks to Fereydoon. The partition door opened.

"Oh, you're back already, Fereydoon?"

To Volsung's horror, the man in black walked in, carrying a large hunting knife.

"Y…you're not Fereydoon…" Volsung said, backing away.

"You're right about that one." The man in black replied, gripping the handle of the hunting knife.

"You're from Twelbit, aren't you!" Volsung yelled.

The man shook his head and raised the hunting knife.

"Don't!!!" Volsung yelled. There wasn't much he could do. The man was clearly blocking the exit. He could, of course, jump out the window and bring himself a swift, yet painful death, but that would defeat the purpose of his journey.

"Excuse me…but this conduct is highly unwanted on the train."

Volsung stared.

The man in black turned around, and was greeted with a kick to the face with Fereydoon's boot. The man in black flew back and landed on the floor, glaring at Fereydoon. He ran out of the quarters, and through the train until he was unable to be seen. Fereydoon ran over to Volsung, "Are you all right?"

"Yes. What did he want?!" Volsung asked, shivering.

"He wanted to kill you, I'm betting. He must be from Twelbit."

"No…he's not. He shook his head when I asked him…" replied Volsung.

There was a strange static sound, and suddenly, a voice filled the train.

"Attention half-breed and Veruni partner. What you did was highly uncalled for. I thought this would be easy, go into the train, kill the brat, get out, but I see a bit of blood must be shed…"

"N…no, please…I'll give you whatever you want!!" yelled the conductor over the P.A. system.

"Let me make this perfectly clear," the threatening voice said, "if you don't get your asses over here in 10 seconds, I'll blow his brains out all over the windows."

Fereydoon grunted. "Damn…!!"

Volsung stood up. "I won't let that happen!"

"Indeed…" Fereydoon replied. "What will we do?"

"We will save him, of course!" Volsung replied.

"All right. Lets go." Fereydoon replied, and ran out of the room, followed by Volsung.

After 5 seconds passed, Fereydoon reached the conductor's car, followed by Volsung.

"5 seconds…" the man in black said, a stopwatch in his hands. He held a pistol threateningly to the conductor's temple.

The conductor stared at Fereydoon and Volsung, with a horrified expression on his face. "I have a wife and kid in Twelbit…please…"

"Shaddup." Replied the man in black.

The conductor quieted himself.

The man in black smiled wickedly, and stopped his stopwatch. Slowly, he inched to the back of the room where the door was leading to the second car, with the gun pointed to the man's head.

"We cooperated. Release him immediately." Fereydoon replied.

"You guys are dumber than you look. I was just gonna kill the half-breed brat, but I guess I'm gonna have to use this…" The man in black said, reaching into a pocket on his coat and taking out a strange device.

"A DETONATOR!!!!" Fereydoon yelled.

"NO!!!" Volsung yelled in response.

"A rigged train…!!" Fereydoon yelled again.

"Yep. Like I said, you guys are dumber than you look. And now, someone's gonna die."

"NO!!!" yelled the conductor, and in an instant, a shot was fired, and he hit the floor, covered in blood.

"You bastard!!" yelled Fereydoon.

The man in black smirked wickedly and pressed a button on his detonator. "Its armed now, kiddies. Have fun escapin'!" With an evil laugh, he ran out of the conductor car, closed and locked the door leading into the second car, and could no longer be seen.

Volsung ran around the car wildly. "WHAT DO WE DO!?!?!?"

Fereydoon calmed him down and walked over to the control console for the train. He pushed a few buttons and pulled a few levers, but nothing would move.

"Help me pull this lever," Fereydoon replied, and Volsung nodded. He walked over to Fereydoon and placed his hand on the lever, along with Fereydoon's. The two began to pull the lever down, which was moving slowly. The train slowly began to decline in speed, and Volsung smiled.

"We did it!"

"Not quite…"

To their horror, the lever locked at mid-speed, and would not move. The two of them pulled the lever, and it snapped.

"No!!!" Fereydoon yelled.

Volsung stared in horror. "What do we do now!?!?!?"

Fereydoon looked at the window and dashed over to it. He smashed it open. "I'll toss you out the window. You should be fine as long as you land on your feet! We aren't going very fast!"

"That's crazy!"

"Trust me, Lord Volsung!" Fereydoon said, a glint of loyalty in his eyes.

Volsung stared at him, and nodded. "I trust you."

Fereydoon kneeled to the ground and held out his hands for Volsung to step on them. Once he had, Fereydoon quickly tossed Volsung out the window, who rolled on the ground and landed safely.

The train began to pick up in speed, and Fereydoon heard an explosion.

"THE THIRD CAR JUST EXPLODED!!!" Volsung yelled. "THE TRAIN IS ON FIRE!!!"

"Damn!!!" Fereydoon yelled, acting quickly, and jumping through the window as well. He rolled on the ground and landed safely, while he watched the train continue to drive straight on a track that turned. The train flew off the tracks and propelled itself into a mountain, where it exploded causing a major landslide on one of the tunnels.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas, including the inclusion of the new character that gets introduced in this chapter. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Six**

Volsung stood up, dusting himself off, staring at the wreckage of the train and the blocked tunnel. Fereydoon did the same. The two were in awe at the hole left in the mountain. Where had the man in black gone? Surely, he didn't perish with the train…?

"I am curious…that man, if he had jumped, he would be near us, would he not?" Fereydoon asked Volsung.

Volsung nodded. "Who was he?"

"I don't know…but it's clear he wanted you dead." Fereydoon replied.

Volsung sighed. "How in the world did he know where I was…? It can't be, can it? The villagers are trailing me? Do they hate me that much?"

"I would say that's highly unlikely, my lord." Replied Fereydoon. "That man was acting independent of the villagers."

"And yet, he shares their goal…are you sure it's a coincidence?" Volsung asked.

"I would stake my honor on it." Replied Fereydoon.

"He was wearing all black…he had the opportunity to sabotage the train…"

"That means he must be a very high ranking Veruni…" replied Fereydoon.

"…a high ranking Veruni with the opportunity to sabotage the train…that means he must be…"

"A government official…" replied Fereydoon.

"Or a noble." Volsung added.

"That could be anybody…" Fereydoon said, with a disheartened sigh. "In any case, our path has not changed. We are close to Laila Belle, and the Provectas station is up ahead.

From there, it's just a short path to the city, or so I've read."

"That's good…"

"You will be resting easily soon, Lord Volsung." Fereydoon said, with a loyal tone in his voice.

Volsung stared, and nodded.

"Shall we get moving then?" Fereydoon asked.

Volsung nodded, and the two began walking down the path. The path to Laila Belle was very unkempt. It was basically just a dirt road that nobody had made any effort to clean. There was, of course, mountains and various vegetation to the left and right of the path, but they, too, looked decayed and devoid of any verdure. Every now and then, Fereydoon and Volsung saw wooden signposts that invited visitors to Laila Belle, but even they looked at least 15 years old.

"Fereydoon," Volsung asked, suddenly stopping in the middle of the path.

Fereydoon turned to face him and replied, "Yes, my lord?"

"You read a lot of books in the Rygs Mansion, didn't you?" Volsung asked.

Fereydoon nodded, "Indeed. Lady Diana had a large collection of geological and environmental history subjects to browse. Why?"

"Why does this place look so desolate and…dead?" asked Volsung.

"The technological advances in Laila Belle have caused strenuous and severe damage to the land. The more advanced Laila Belle gets, the more the land will die." Fereydoon replied.

"…oh…but, Twelbit didn't look nearly this bad…"

"That's because Twelbit is a rather primitive village, with primitive resources. Laila Belle runs _primarily_ on technological advances."

"Oh…I see…"

"It is not just around Laila Belle that the land is this way. It is around Mirapulse and Gounon, as well." Fereydoon stated, with a very negative tone.

"…so the world is…slowly dying?"

Fereydoon nodded. "It is unfortunate, but yes. The world is slowly dying."

"If we could persuade the humans and Veruni to stop using so much technology…!"

"Indeed. It may be possible to save Filgaia, but not one person will speak out on that subject. The sides are helplessly locked out of each other, refusing to accept the others ideas. It's unfortunate, but that's the way things are, and have been for a very long time now."

"That's why I have to bridge the gap…"

Fereydoon nodded. "Let's continue, Lord Volsung."

"Right." Volsung replied, and continued to walk on with Fereydoon.

The two snaked around a mountain and descended, walking into a very large dune in the land. As Volsung stared at the dying land, he shook his head. His resolve only grew as they continued on to Laila Belle.

After a few minutes of walking, the two of them had reached the gates of Laila Belle.

"We made it!!!" Volsung said, energetically.

"Indeed!" Fereydoon replied, happy as well.

"That's as far as you go." A familiar voice said.

The two whirled around and looked to their left and right, surveying the land. Where had the voice come from, and why did it sound so familiar?

"Up here." The voice said.

The two looked up and stared at the train tracks, which had a figure on them. They couldn't see much of his appearance through the night sky, but the two of them figured it was the man in black.

The figure flipped off the tracks and into the air, while pulling a large, unidentifiable gun out of his coat. As he began to fall from the sky, he shot at Volsung and Fereydoon.

"DAMN!!!" Fereydoon yelled.

"Quick!! This way!! We'll take cover behind these rocks!!" Volsung yelled, and the two ran to the right of Laila Belle and took cover behind a stack of rocks.

The figure continued shooting. When he had landed on the ground, he smirked, clearly annoyed.

"Tch…" he said. "Do you think you can avoid me like that? You stupid brats." He lifted his gun over his shoulder, and began to walk towards Volsung and Fereydoon. "It's the end of the line, kiddies."

"What is your business with us? Why do you desire us to die?!" Fereydoon asked, still sheltered behind the rocks.

"Humph. Why do I desire you to die, you ask? Simply because you want to break the wall between the human and Veruni., or 'bridge the gap' as your childish friend says."

"And why is that so wrong?" Volsung asked, also sheltered behind the rocks. "Breaking the wall, or bridging the gap would mean helping people. Filgaia would live. Do you want the planet to die?"

"Hahahaha!" the man in black laughed, as he stopped moving. "'Want the planet to die' you say… who would want that? This is our planet, and its our responsibility to take care of it."

"Then why do you wish to kill us?!"

The man scoffed. "Tch… you could never hope to understand my reasons."

"Explain them, and maybe we'll try!" Fereydoon reasoned.

"Foolish brats, the world isn't so kind as to just explain everything to you. Playtime's over kiddies, you're in our world now."

"'Our world'?" Volsung asked, confused.

"Yep. The world of adults. The minute you got on that train, is the minute you entered our world, and became part of our problems. We don't need hopeless dreamers like you." The man in black said, beginning to walk forward again.

Fereydoon sighed, exasperated, "It's fairly clear he won't listen to us."

"Indeed…that much has been proven…" replied Volsung.

"That rock can't hide you for long!! Observe!!!"

The two of them heard a "clicking" sound, and before they had even acknowledged it, the rock they were hiding behind was being sliced directly down the middle.

"N…no way!" Fereydoon said, in disbelief.

"Who is he!?"

The man in black, who the two could now see, put his weapon, which was no longer a gun, but a large blade that had been hidden in between the top and bottom parts of it, over his shoulder again and smirked. "You know, I really didn't want to kill the conductor, but you forced my hand."

"How!? He was innocent!!" Volsung yelled in disagreement.

The man in black smirked. "Innocent people have to die in war. It's a cruel fact, but it is true."

"War…? This isn't a war, you're attacking us!"

"Is attack not some form of the word "war"?" the man in black asked, raising his weapon again.

"…" Fereydoon and Volsung were left without a response.

"Silence…what a fitting way to greet the gates of Death." The man in black smiled, moving his weapon into an attack position.

"How can you claim to want to protect the planet when you are going to kill us, the only two people that have the resolve and courage to pursue it!? You're not good at all! You're just evil!"

"Good and evil are empty words, used only to describe the habits of man. I am neither." The man in black replied. "The time for discussion is over. Die."

Volsung and Fereydoon couldn't think of anything to do to stop the man in black. Was this really the end of their journey? Would they die outside of Laila Belle, having only just reaching it?

The man in black smiled as he reached for the handle on his weapon.

"NOT SO FAST!!!" Someone yelled.

"Who in the-"

That was all the man in black had time to get out, before he was greeted with a kick to the face. The man in black flew back across the field, and let out a very angry, very exasperated growl. "ARGH!!! DAMN THESE INTERRUPTIONS!!! What do you think you're doing, you unbelievable BASTARD!?"

"Picking a fight with kids, eh? That's not exactly admirable, is it?" a man in white asked, standing in front of Fereydoon and Volsung, towering over them.

"Tch…" the man in black said, standing up and staring at the man. "So you want to die too, eh? All right, I'll kill all of you. " He once again raised his weapon in an attack position and fired a shot.

The man in white quickly deflected it, and swiftly dashed to the weapon, where he grabbed its blade.

"What in the name of hell!?" the man in black yelled.

The man in white grinned, and pressed his grip firmly on the weapon, until the blade was cracked in half.

The man in black stared at it in disbelief, and once again growled. "DAMN YOU!!!!!"

The man in white smirked, "Run along now. Unless you want me to just completely destroy your toy, that is."

"You smug bastard…you'll pay for destroying my Longhorn Nova!!" the man in black yelled, incredibly angry.

The man in white smiled and gave the man in black a playful salute, clearly not taking him seriously.

"Humph…!!! You will pay for this. Mark my words. I'll hunt every one of you until you are all dead!!" The man in black said, and ran off with his Longhorn Nova.

"Well, that was fun." The man in white said, and turned to Volsung and Fereydoon.

Fereydoon stared at him. "Thank you."

The man smiled, "I couldn't very well let him kill two defenseless kids, could I?"

Volsung stared at the man as well. "No. We really appreciate your help."

"It was no problem, but I doubt that man is finished with the two of you. Are you lost?"

"No," Fereydoon shook his head. "We seek medical attention."

The man in white stared at them, "Is someone injured??"

Volsung nodded. "I am…"

Fereydoon sighed. "As long as people like that man in black exist, the races will never be unified."

Volsung nodded and sighed as well.

The man in white clearly paid no attention to that comment. "Are you having problems receiving medical help?"

"If you could escort us to the doctor's office, we would greatly appreciate it." Fereydoon replied.

The man in white nodded. "I will escort you to the doctor's office. My name is Bartholomew, by the way. What are yours?"

"I am Volsung. This is Fereydoon." Volsung said.

Bartholomew nodded. "All right, it's nice to meet the two of you. Where are you from?"

"Twelbit…" Volsung replied, reluctantly.

Bartholomew stared, amazed. "You two are a long way away from home…what in the world brings you to Laila Belle?"

"The doctor in Twelbit is away to help a drowning child in Harmonde." Replied Fereydoon.

"A drowning child, you say? I see…you braved the train all by yourselves? Not many children can do that these days."

"I'm not a child, and neither is Fereydoon." Volsung replied.

"I apologize." Bartholomew stated.

"Yes, we braved the train by ourselves. Lord Volsung really needs medical attention." Fereydoon replied.

Bartholomew stared closely at Volsung, and his charred clothes and various wounds.

"I…can see that. What happened to him?"

Volsung and Fereydoon exchanged glances, but did not offer a response.

After a few moments of deadly silence, Bartholomew nodded. "I understand, that's your business, not mine. Let's get over to the doctor's office quickly."

Volsung and Fereydoon nodded, and followed Bartholomew inside the gates of Laila Belle.

Laila Belle was a strange town, certainly something unlike anything else in Filgaia. Instead of pavement, there was steel. A large glass dome covered the sky, and blue lights ran through lines on the steel floors. There were people walking here and there, and some conversing to each other.

"Here we are. Laila Belle." Bartholomew said, coming to a stop.

Volsung stared, in awe at the city. "It's…absolutely…"

"…amazing!" Fereydoon replied, completing Volsung's sentence.

"Yeah but it gets less amazing after awhile," Bartholomew said, staring at a building straight ahead. Atop the door leading into the building was a metal sign with a red cross on it.

"That must be the doctor's office." Fereydoon commented.

Bartholomew nodded, "It is."

He turned to Fereydoon and Volsung and lost his smile.

Fereydoon and Volsung stared oddly. "Is something the matter…?" Fereydoon asked.

"Are you hiding anything from me?" Bartholomew asked Volsung.

Volsung stared at him and looked sadly at the ground.

"Those wounds of yours…and that mark on your cheek…and the fact that he calls you Lord… not to mention, the man in black being after you so vigorously…are you telling me the whole story?" Bartholomew asked.

Fereydoon was speechless. "If you will excuse us…" he said, beginning to walk past Bartholomew, followed by Volsung.

"Wait." Bartholomew said. "I am on your side. I just want to know the whole story. If you won't tell me, there's gotta be a reason why. I won't pry into your business anymore."

"…thank you." Replied Fereydoon.

Volsung stared and sighed, relieved.

"Now let's get to the doctor's office." Bartholomew replied. The two nodded, and followed Bartholomew into the doctor's office.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld came up with the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Seven**

Volsung, Fereydoon, and Bartholomew walked into the doctor's office. It was a rather large building. There was a large semicircle desk that they saw as soon as they entered.

Above the top of the desk were glass windows, and behind them were a man sitting at the desk.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, glaring at Volsung.

"Yes. We need a doctor." Bartholomew replied to the man.

The man looked at Volsung. He smiled. "I'm sorry. We don't treat _his_ kind."

Fereydoon stared at the man.

Bartholomew glared at the man. "You're refusing medical help?! He'll die!"

The man smiled again, "I don't care. We don't serve filthy half-breeds."

"You can't just refuse to help someone!!" yelled Bartholomew, slamming his hand on the desk.

Fereydoon glared at the man as well. "He is right. You cannot refuse to help people in need. That is part of your oath as a doctor."

"And I simply don't care. I refuse to treat a half-breed." The man said, with a self-satisfactory smile.

Fereydoon joined Bartholomew in the hand slamming. "That isn't fair!! It's your duty as a doctor to help everyone in need!!!"

"Why should I help him? He's better off dead anyway. He's worthless, just like everyone in his kind. They should all be lined up and shot to death." The man said, with a sadistic laugh.

Volsung began to break out into tears and ran out of the office.

"You bastard!! You'll pay for making him cry!! What did he ever do to you!?!"

Bartholomew demanded, slamming his hand on the desk once more.

"He existed," the man behind the desk said.

"Lord Volsung!! Come back!!" Fereydoon yelled, and proceeded to run after Volsung.

Bartholomew grabbed the man by his coat collar, "See here. Either you help him, or I keep hitting you until you agree to."

"That's coercion. You can't do that." The man replied.

"Want to watch and see!? You'll be the one needing the medical help!" Bartholomew said, the anger rising. He stared at the ID badge around the man's neck, next to his stethoscope. It read, "Dr. Victoria".

"And then your little half-breed disgrace will die." Dr. Victoria said, with a grin.

Bartholomew balled his left hand into a fist and raised it. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Will you help him, or not!?"

Dr. Victoria looked at him and laughed, "Help a half-breed? Out of the question."

Bartholomew glared at the doctor, who smiled at him. "Its people like you that fuel the hatred in this world. You don't have the right to call yourself a doctor. A true doctor would help anyone, no matter who they were."

Victoria thought a moment and nodded. "All right. All right. I'll do it, for the love of god. Just don't start with the stupid speech crap, all right?"

Bartholomew glared, "Do you promise?"

"Yeah yeah. Shaddup." Dr. Victoria said.

Bartholomew dropped him on the floor. "That's better… Volsung! Come back!" he yelled, running out of the office after Volsung.

Dr. Victoria smiled sinisterly, "Oh yes…I'll help him…I will help him all right…I'll help him so much, he'll never need help again…"

Outside the Doctor's Office, Volsung and Fereydoon were sitting down at a large fountain in the middle plaza of Laila Belle. Volsung was crying, and Fereydoon was comforting him.

"Poor child…" Bartholomew said, sympathizing with Volsung. "Another life I am responsible for ruining… …. …."

Fereydoon sighed. "Lord Volsung…are you all right? You should not listen to what that man said. His opinion does not matter."

Volsung stared.

"All that matters is what you think, Lord Volsung. You are going to bridge the gap between human and Veruni; that's hardly a task for someone that has been deemed worthless."

Volsung continued to stare, the sorrow in his heart fading away as Fereydoon spoke.

"And I do not think you're worthless, Lord Volsung. You are anything but worthless. If you were worthless, I would not be your best friend, and I would not have sworn my eternal loyalty to you." Fereydoon continued.

Volsung looked at the ground.

Bartholomew walked over to them. "Dr. Victoria said that he'll see Volsung."

Fereydoon blinked in disbelief. "How…in the…"

Bartholomew grinned. "I wasn't going to let him treat Volsung like that."

Volsung looked up and stared at Bartholomew. He had a smile on his face now, and the tears had stopped.

"Come on, Lord Volsung. Let us go and get you medical help." Fereydoon said, helping Volsung up.

Volsung nodded, and stood up. He followed Bartholomew and Fereydoon back into the doctor's office.

Dr. Victoria glared at them as they walked in.

Bartholomew grinned at him. "All right, do your best now."

"Yes….yes of course. Come…child." Dr. Victoria said, and turned around. After he had his back to the group, he smirked wickedly and walked off into a room.

Volsung followed him.

Fereydoon sat down in a chair. "Mr. Bartholomew…. I thank you… for helping Volsung."

Bartholomew stared and smiled. "It's my duty to help people in need." Of course, that was not the real reason why he had helped Volsung, but he could not just tell Fereydoon the actual reason. He couldn't tell Fereydoon what Dr. Victoria said to him when they had left.

For a few hours, Fereydoon and Bartholomew waited patiently in the lobby of the doctor's office, eagerly awaiting Volsung's return. They tapped their feet impatiently and Fereydoon began pacing back and forth.

"What's taking them so long?" Fereydoon wondered. "It's been almost thirty minutes!"

"I don't know…" Bartholomew said, as he watched Fereydoon pace.

"…." Fereydoon did not say anything, he just continued pacing.

"Dr. Victoria… hmm…he feels very strongly on the issue of half-breeds…"

Fereydoon stopped and stared, "…what do you mean?"

"…he would not help Volsung because he was a half-breed…" Bartholomew said.

"That's…odd. He just agreed to help him, as well…?" Fereydoon asked.

Bartholomew nodded. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"You don't think Dr. Victoria would go so far as to kill him while he is wounded?" Fereydoon asked, incredulously.

"…." Bartholomew stared off into space, wide-eyed.

"What is it?"

"…I think we just made a mistake." Bartholomew replied.

Dr. Victoria opened the door to the operating room and walked out of it, closing it behind him. He walked over to his desk and sat down, smiling at Bartholomew and Fereydoon.

"How is he? Is he okay!?" Fereydoon asked.

"Oh him? Oh yes…he's just fine…" Dr. Victoria said, with a smile.

"…I want to see him." Bartholomew said.

"No, he's resting." Dr. Victoria replied.

Bartholomew walked over and grabbed Dr. Victoria by his coat collar. "What did you do!?!?!"

Dr. Victoria stared, confused. "I did only what you told me to. I…'helped'…him."

Fereydoon stared at Dr. Victoria. "What was that strange look in your eye?"

"What?"

Fereydoon walked over to Dr. Victoria and glared. "When you say 'helped' him, what do you mean!?"

Dr. Victoria smiled evilly. "I helped him….to his death."

Bartholomew smashed Dr. Victoria against the wall. "WHAT!?!"

Fereydoon glared evilly. "What did you do to him!?"

Dr. Victoria stared and laughed sadistically. "I injected him with enough poison to kill a horse. He won't survive through the night."

Fereydoon ran into the operating room and stared at Volsung. His cheeks were pale, and he was barely breathing. He was also asleep.

Fereydoon ran out of the room and walked over to Dr. Victoria. "…where is the antidote?"

"What are you talking about?" Dr. Victoria asked, with a smile. "There is no antidote."

Bartholomew glared. "There has to be an antidote! Why would you have a poison with no antidote?"

"All right. There may be an antidote, but you'll never get it." Dr. Victoria replied.

"Would you like to bet on that?" Fereydoon asked, with an evil glare.

"What are you going to do? Hurt me? Murder me? I'll have you know murder is highly illegal. You can go to Illsveil for killing someone."

"Exactly, Dr. Victoria." Bartholomew said. "You can, indeed, go to Illsveil for killing someone."

"Idle threats…idle threats…" Dr. Victoria responded with a cheerful smile.

"Please…I beg of you, tell us where the antidote is!"

Dr. Victoria smirked. "All right. If you want it that badly, you'll be willing to make it, right?"

"Yes." Fereydoon replied.

"Then you'll go to the Starlit Cave to the southeast and gather the special Holy Berry there, won't you?" Dr. Victoria said, with a smile.

"Starlit Cave…?" Fereydoon asked.

"It's a cave to the south," replied Bartholomew. "It leads to the direction of Honeysday."

"I see… all right. We'll go there."

"You have limited amounts of time…" Dr. Victoria said, with a smile.

"Now then, you better not touch him, or I swear…" Bartholomew said, stopping himself.

"Oh don't worry. The poison will do all the touching for me." Dr. Victoria said, with a sadistic laugh.

Fereydoon shot the man an icy glare, and Bartholomew walked into the operating room. He looked at Volsung, who was in bad condition and sighed. Fereydoon walked in after him. Bartholomew quickly picked Volsung up and turned to Fereydoon, "Let's hurry. There's not much time."

Fereydoon nodded, and both of them left the office.

The three of them exited Laila Belle, and began walking along the path, to the southeast.

They had no time to spare, so they ran the entire time. The path snaked around another mountain and to the southeast, where it rounded a very large pond. At the other side of the pond, they stared into the entrance of the cave.

"Starlit Cave" a sign read, stuck in the road.

"This place is known for horrible monsters. I've seen people come back from here in ribbons." Bartholomew stated.

Fereydoon stared, "…ribbons…?"

"Yes…they say there's a horrible demon at the very bottom of the cave that devours all that enter."

"I pray the Holy Berries are nowhere near that demon." Fereydoon replied.

Bartholomew nodded. "Let's go. We have no time to waste."

Fereydoon nodded, and the two ran into the cave.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Eight**

As Fereydoon and Bartholomew walked into the cave, they noticed it was not at all a nice place to be. The cave itself was very dark, with two torches hung to the left and right walls of the entrance. Bartholomew turned to Fereydoon. "Okay. In case any monsters attack, you'll need to carry Volsung."

Fereydoon nodded, and Bartholomew carefully laid Volsung on the cave floor, allowing Fereydoon to pick him up in his stead. Afterwards, Bartholomew walked over to the right torch and took it from its spot, holding it up towards the ceiling. "The monsters in this cave love the darkness. Perhaps by shedding a little light we can scare them away, though keep in mind that won't work for all of them; we may actually have to fight some. If it comes to that, I want you and Volsung to stay back, all right, Fereydoon?"

Fereydoon nodded in agreement, and picked Volsung up.

"Are you ready to go? Who knows what monsters are lurking in this place." Bartholomew added.

"We do not have time to worry about the dangers; we need to get the Holy Berry for Volsung quickly."

"I imagine it's near the exit."

"Exit?"

"This cave used to be a supply tunnel from Laila Belle to Honeysday. It was used for a while, but one day, a messenger from Honeysday never arrived at Laila Belle. The guards in Laila Belle investigated it, and they did not return either. It didn't take long to slap a "do not enter" sign on the cave, considering the people soon found out the ones causing all the calamity were the monsters inside." Bartholomew explained. "So, the exit, would of course, be Honeysday."

"Honeysday…" Fereydoon repeated, "What is it like there?"

"It's the same as everywhere else in Filgaia; quiet people living with closed minds. The people of Honeysday keep to themselves for fear of attracting Veruni attention." Bartholomew replied.

"Veruni attention?" Fereydoon asked, "Are they doing things that would be deemed illegal?"

"No, nothing like that. They are a town of humans, and the Veruni enjoy sticking their noses into human business."

"Why is that?" Fereydoon asked.

"It's simply because the two sides don't trust each other. They are always at each other's throats. At least it isn't like in Mirapulse; humans are executed on sight there for even looking at a Veruni the wrong way."

Fereydoon looked around and walked forward.

Bartholomew stared. "Fereydoon, is something wrong?"

"I hear voices…" Fereydoon said, "from further in the cave…"

Bartholomew stared and listened. He heard a small voice.

"They will be here soon…" he repeated, as he heard.

Fereydoon stared, "They?"

"We'll be ready. Bartholomew is with them, so be careful." Bartholomew repeated.

"I wish you would've told me about him sooner; he destroyed my Longhorn Nova." Bartholomew repeated again.

"I apologize. I can't see everything, you know. Longhorn Nova will be fine, its been through much worse. It IS an ancient war weapon, after all." Bartholomew continued.

"Yeah…you're right. I guess you had better head for Honeysday quickly; this place is shortly to become a battle zone."

"Indeed. I wish you luck…" Bartholomew said, and then he stopped repeating the voices.

"It's a trap…" replied Fereydoon.

"It seems that way… though, its not as if we have much of a choice but to continue." Bartholomew replied.

"I agree. And quickly; Volsung's life is at stake."

"We must be cautious…" Bartholomew said, and walked forward with the torch still pointed at the ceiling.

Fereydoon followed.

As they walked through the cave, they noticed it looked very old and unkempt, much like the road to Laila Belle. It grew darker and darker, even with the torch Bartholomew had in his hand.

After they had walked a bit from the entrance, Fereydoon stopped and stared at something. It was a supply car, destroyed and crashed into a wall. Inside of it was a skeleton of a person, holding a pocket watch.

"A supplier?" Fereydoon asked.

"Perhaps," Bartholomew said, also coming to a stop. "he might be one of the people I mentioned earlier that were never found. He was probably eaten by the monsters after his supply car crashed. Poor bastard."

"…they ate people…?" Fereydoon asked, intrigued.

"As I said, I've seen people come back from this place in ribbons. Not to mention, I told you earlier, at least four people did not come back from this cave a while ago. I'm amazed a monster hasn't appeared yet. Maybe they are asleep." Bartholomew replied.

"I hope we don't run into any of them…" replied Fereydoon.

"If we do, I'm fairly confident I could take care of them with little problem." Bartholomew said, grinding his left fist into his right palm.

Fereydoon smiled and nodded.

"Let's go on." Bartholomew replied, and walked onward past the wreckage. As he and Fereydoon continued walking, they noticed the path getting more linear, until it led up a ways and through a hole in the cave wall that led into more darkness, until Bartholomew entered with his torch. This room was well-lit, and it seemed well taken care of as well, unlike the other room and the path to Laila Belle.

Come to think of it, it just occurred to Fereydoon. Why was Bartholomew helping them? He never said much about himself at all, aside from the fact that he protected them because he could not let them die. He didn't seem like your run-of-the-mill protector or dignitary of justice. Who was he? And why was he so interested in Volsung in Laila Belle?

"Come to think of it, Bartholomew…" Fereydoon said, stopping. "Why are you helping us?"

Bartholomew stared and stopped, as well. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you helping us, or rather, why are you helping Volsung, when nobody else will?" Fereydoon asked.

"Well… I suppose it's because I feel a sense of responsibility for the two of you. Not to mention, you remind me of a younger me." Bartholomew said.

"A…younger you?"

Bartholomew nodded. "You remind me of the frailty and naivety of my youth."

"I see…"

"What about you two? Why are you traveling together, and why do you call him Lord? I'm still interested in knowing why Volsung looks the way he does." Bartholomew said.

"It's because I swore allegiance to his cause." Fereydoon replied.

"Swore allegiance to his cause…? What is his cause?" Bartholomew asked.

Fereydoon replied, with a smile, "We're going to bridge the gap between the humans and Veruni."

And then, Bartholomew lost his smile.

"The…gap between the human and Veruni…?!" Bartholomew replied.

"Is there a problem?" asked Fereydoon, noting the sudden change in his expression.

"…." Bartholomew did not respond.

"…." Fereydoon did not either.

"….so. That's why… that's why Volsung looks like that… its because of your decision, to bridge the gap between the human and Veruni."

"….he's…also a half-breed. In Twelbit, he was almost burned at the stake."

"And you too, have sworn allegiance to this cause…?" asked Bartholomew.

Fereydoon nodded. "I'm going to ensure that Volsung succeeds."

"That's not an easy task, Fereydoon. Bridging the gap between the human and Veruni will bring you much hardship… you'll have to experience horrors worse than discrimination. You might have to kill people. You may have to hurt people. You may get hurt yourselves."

"We already know that we can get hurt. We have been hurt many times already." Fereydoon replied.

"It won't be easy to uproot a hatred so deeply instilled in the world, you know…"Bartholomew replied.

"One person can make a difference." Fereydoon replied. "Volsung always says you can do anything, as long as you don't give up."

"He seems like such a meek individual, and he says things like that?...not to mention, his admiration and desire to bridge the gap between the human and Veruni… he must be quite an impressive person."

"He is… if he were not, I would not have sworn my allegiance to him" Fereydoon replied.

Bartholomew laughed, "I once knew someone that shared the same dream as you two… his name was William. He believed that through perseverance, one person could change the course of the world."

"What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure… he left Laila Belle one day, and he never, ever returned." Bartholomew replied.

"I see…" replied Fereydoon. "Volsung won't fail. We will change the world." He nodded.

Bartholomew smiled, "If you're that resolved, there's nothing you can't do. Now lets continue. After hearing that, there's no way I can let Volsung die."

Somehow, Fereydoon knew the reason that Bartholomew supplied for helping them, was a lie. And what was that look of concern in Bartholomew's eyes when Fereydoon told him why they were traveling? Something didn't add up.

Fereydoon nodded, and the two continued through the cave. They walked a few ways until Fereydoon suddenly collapsed.

Bartholomew stared, "Fereydoon!? Are you okay?!"

Fereydoon dropped Volsung and fell on the ground. "I…I'm fine… I'm just…tired."

"All right. Why don't you take a rest? I'll scout ahead." Bartholomew said.

"I will. Thank you." Fereydoon replied, and Bartholomew walked off down the path, which grew dark after he had passed through it.

Fereydoon slowly crawled towards the wall and moved into a sitting position, with his back to the wall. He stared at Volsung.

Volsung was still pale, and his condition was getting worse.

Fereydoon prayed that Bartholomew would come back soon. The darkness of the cave was very ominous, as if something could jump out at him at any moment. Water dripped from the ceiling and into a puddle. He wondered, how would they accomplish their goal? Would they go to the towns in Filgaia and make better every individual's life, one by one, until they grew to be acceptant? If that was how they were to accomplish their goal, it would be a long time, indeed.

Bartholomew walked through the darkness, his torch lifted upright. He looked around the cave, the ambience and look being the same, unkempt and ruinous. There were no sign of monsters. Just as Fereydoon was wondering about him, he was wondering about Fereydoon. A half-breed and a Veruni traveling together? Was that possible? Why didn't Fereydoon feel the same way the villagers did? So many questions, with so little answers.

Suddenly, something jumped out at him.

"A monster!" he said, waving the torch. The monster hissed at him and climbed on the wall, spitting a poisonous acid toward him. The acid hit the torch, and the torch rapidly began to disintegrate. He threw the torch down at the ground.

"I guess we can't talk this out, huh?" Bartholomew asked, grinding his left fist into his right palm as the light in the area disappeared. He could no longer see the monster, but he could hear it scurrying. He felt something hit his shoe, and decided that it was the acid that the monster spit. He kicked in the general direction of the monster, and hoped that he had hit it. Seeing as how it continued to scurry, he decided that he did not. The monster scurried once more, and spit acid. This time, the acid came close to hitting Bartholomew.

"That was a close one, you bastard!!" he yelled, and punched in the direction the acid came from. He faintly saw a small shadow fly into the air, and he kicked the shadow, where it flew and hit the wall. He dashed across the floor and punched the wall, squishing the monster into it, and then felt a wet substance on his hands. He deemed it as the monsters blood. It was clearly dead.

"Damn. You destroyed my torch. How am I supposed to find my way back to Fereydoon now?" Bartholomew asked, walking around in a circle, thinking. "How far did I walk? The entrance was…" he turned to the north, "this direction? Or…" he turned to the south, "this direction?"

Almost immediately after he said that, he felt a rumbling sound, almost like an earthquake. He quickly lost his balance and fell flat on the floor. He looked around and stared. What in the world happened?

"Bartholomew!!!" He heard a voice call, with a strange hint of fear in its voice.

"Fereydoon! Is that you!?" Bartholomew called into the darkness.

"Something happened here!! I heard something smash!!!" Fereydoon yelled. "Where are you!?"

"I can't see, so I don't know! My torch was destroyed by an acid-spitting lizard!" Bartholomew responded, still looking around.

"What direction did you walk in?!" Fereydoon asked, panicked.

"I think the north. Don't come and try to meet me! It's too dangerous! Something may attack you!" Bartholomew replied.

"And if I don't try to meet you, something _will_ attack me!" replied Fereydoon.

Bartholomew sighed. "All right, but be very careful!" he replied.

Fereydoon picked Volsung up and began slowly stepping in the north direction, looking around and kicking in various directions. He did not feel any sight of Bartholomew near him. He continued walking, and kicking. Suddenly, he kicked and something responded.

"OW!!!"

He stared. "Bartholomew? Was that you?"

"Yeah. That was me." Replied Bartholomew.

"What happened to the torch? Where are you?"

"In front of you…"

"Oh." Fereydoon replied. "What happened?"

"I don't know. You said you heard a smashing sound?" asked Bartholomew.

"Yes." Replied Fereydoon.

"I would say the trap has been set…" replied Bartholomew grimly.

"Trap…" replied Fereydoon.

"Yes. Our enemy will be showing himself soon, and I think I know who he is." Replied Bartholomew.

"The man in black, perhaps?" asked Fereydoon.

"Yes. Now stand up, carefully." Bartholomew said, and stood up.

Fereydoon replied, "I am standing up, Bartholomew."

"All right. Let's go, but proceed with caution. Our enemy can show himself at anytime." Bartholomew said, and walked forward.

Fereydoon followed the sounds of his footsteps and walked forward as well.

After they had walked a significant way, they finally saw the exit of the cave. The light shone on them, and they stared at each other as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time. "All right…we're at the end. Now where is the holy berry plant?"

Fereydoon looked around. He stared and shouted, "It's there!! Look!!"

Bartholomew stared, and in the corner of the room, at the exit, was a plant with a purple berry on it. "All right…all we have to do is get this and-"

"Not so fast!!!" yelled a voice.

The two of them looked around. "Who said that?" Fereydoon commanded.

A figure jumped down and landed on the ground, standing in front of the exit. He was holding a weapon on his shoulder.

"The man in black!" Fereydoon identified.

The man in black laughed, "That's right, kiddies. I'm back and mad as hell for what happened to Longhorn Nova!"

Bartholomew grinned. "Did you get it fixed, by the way?"

"Of course I did! Do you think I'm an idiot, and will go around toting a broken weapon!?" The man in black asked, throwing his hand aside.

"An idiot isn't an appropriate description. You're more like a fool. Not quite an idiot, not quite smart. A fool." Bartholomew replied.

The man in black turned his hand into a fist and pointed it at Bartholomew. "I'll make you pay for that comment!!!"

"I think you already tried doing that last time, and it failed miserably." Fereydoon said.

"But it will succeed this time. Behold, the new cartridge for Longhorn Nova!!!"

The man in black said, and pointed Longhorn Nova at the ceiling of the cave.

"What are you doing, you bastard!?" Bartholomew yelled.

"Halting your escape." The man in black said, and fired an explosive shot at the cave's ceiling.

A loud, ominous rumbling was heard, along with the sound of cracking rocks.

"DAMN IT!!!" Bartholomew yelled, and pushed Fereydoon and Volsung out of the way.

Suddenly, the roof behind them collapsed, completely covering the way back to the entrance of the cave, and the way back to Laila Belle. They were trapped.

"What in the world was that!?" Fereydoon yelled.

The man in black chuckled. "The new cartridge for Longhorn Nova, 'Nova Decimator'. It fires an explosive blast, capable of plowing over small mountains. This cave was no problem for it."

Bartholomew stared and glared, "You could've killed him, you bastard!"

"In case you haven't been listening, that was my intention." The man in black said, putting his Longhorn Nova over his shoulder. "I'm tired of being humiliated by kids. Its my turn to do the humiliating!!" he yelled, and moved Longhorn Nova into an attack position, pointing it at Volsung. Longhorn Nova's barrel began to divide in two, revealing the sword blade again. He ran at Volsung, the sword out, hoping to stab him.

"NO!!!!" Bartholomew yelled.

"STOP!!!" Fereydoon said and, without thinking, ran in front of Volsung just in time. Longhorn Nova stabbed into his chest, and blood began to pour from the wound.

Fereydoon let out an agonizing scream, and fell to the floor, gripping his wound.

"Foolish child. You think your perseverance can stand up to Longhorn Nova?!

Perseverance gains nothing! The world will not be changed that way!" the man in black replied, raising Longhorn Nova, the blade pointing to the ceiling.

Bartholomew stared, wide eyed and amazed. "What did you just say!?"

"I said, through perseverance, the world will not be changed!! You must take charge, and _destroy_ those who oppose your vision!" he lowered Longhorn Nova and pointed it at Bartholomew. "There will be no reasoning!! Those who do not accept my vision of things…" he yelled, running at Bartholomew. "….WILL DIE!!!!"

Bartholomew quickly moved out of the way and smashed him on the back with the side of his palm. "And what is _your _vision of the things!?"

"I will change the relations between human and Veruni." The man in black replied.

"That's exactly…" Fereydoon said, grimacing as he stood up, "…what we want!! We…we want to bridge…"

"Fereydoon!! Don't speak so much! Lay down!" Bartholomew said. He turned to the man in black, "That's exactly what we want! Why do you keep trying to kill the people that accept this goal!?"

"Because they are trying to change it by words! That will not solve anything! It will just make things worse! I will change the world by force, by grinding my Longhorn Nova into the chest of anyone who will not listen to me!!!" The man in black said, glaring at Bartholomew.

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!!!" Bartholomew yelled, with incredible ferocity, and shoved his boot directly into the man in black's face.

The man in black flew back and smashed his back against the wreckage of the ceiling, and dropped his Longhorn Nova. He stared at Bartholomew long and hard.

"There's only one person who made me believe things would change. His name was William, and he was nothing like you. If you act with action, the Veruni will respond with action."

"W…William?" The man in black asked, standing up, a fearful look in his eyes

Bartholomew stared at him. "Yeah. William."

"..." the man in black did not respond.

"I'm going to leave you here to think about what you said, you bastard. Maybe you'll realize…" Bartholomew began, stepping on Longhorn Nova, crushing it, "that your course of action is wrong."

He walked over to the berry plant and picked one of the berries. He fed it to Volsung, who instantly regained his former composure.

Fereydoon struggled to stand up.

Volsung stared at him, "F…Fereydoon!?!"

Fereydoon stared and smiled, "Lord…Volsung… I am glad…you are safe…" he said, and fell to the floor.

"FEREYDOON!!!" Volsung yelled, horrified.

"He'll be fine. We have to get out of here before this entire cave collapses!" Bartholomew yelled.

Volsung stared at him for a few moments, but nodded. He ran out of the cave, still weak.

Bartholomew picked up Fereydoon and followed, but stopped at the exit. "If you do not realize the error in what you think should be done, the next time we meet… I will kill you." He said, and continued running.

The man in black stared at the exit, with no response.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Nine**

The man in black stared unceasingly at the exit of the cave, as if hypnotized by Bartholomew's words. The name William sent a flaming arrow of fear through his heart, one that would not easily be removed. He had not heard that name in a very long time.

It was then that the image of a man appeared. The man was tall, he wore a white lab coat, he had his glasses down near the end of his nose, and he had red eyes. His hair was white, parted in the middle to the side. He looked at the man in black and said, "So…it would seem you underestimated them."

The man in black looked at the image, no longer hypnotized, and stood up. "Weston…" he announced, a slightly fearful tone in his voice.

The man he had called Weston nodded and pushed his glasses up to the top of his nose, framing his eyes. "You did not expect him to mention William, did you?"

"No. And on top of that, Weston, he stepped on my Longhorn Nova. Who knows how many delicate parts he damaged with such a brute, rapscallion action? Once again you did not warn me. I'm starting to wonder if you're really on my side; if I can truly call you my confidant."

The image began to become a bit static, "N-nonsense. Of course I am y-your confidant. And if I were not on your side, then I would n-not have s-stuck with you t-t-this far."

"What's happened to your astral projector?" The man in black asked Weston.

Weston gave him an odd look, "Whatever do you mean?"

"The image is becoming static-like and you're stumbling over your words."

"How odd… I was sure it was perfect. There isn't much more I can do to improve it, you know." Weston replied. "And as for Longhorn Nova, I trust you want more power, do you not?"

The man in black nodded, "I need more power if I am to defeat them."

"Was the 'Nova Decimator', with enough firepower to rival the ferocity of 1,000 demons, not enough to fulfill your desire? Shall I ask Vinchezna for more?" Weston asked, sliding his glasses up.

"It appears that firepower is not enough to defeat them. I will have to break their bonds, and their spirit. That is a power that I cannot obtain by Vinchezna's hand." The man in black responded.

Weston laughed, "I assure you, there is nothing Vinchezna can't do. If it is more power you want, I shall ask him to create a new cartridge. And, of course, my scientific prowess should be more than enough to supply him with the research he needs to do so."

"Indeed, Weston, you are unrivaled when it comes to the field of scientific innovation." The man in black replied.

Weston grinned, "And don't you forget it." He replied, with a nod. "As for Dr. Victoria, the man I asked to ensure the child dies, he has failed and I will ensure he is taken to Illsveil for his arrogance and incompetence."

The man in black nodded. "I agree, he is just going to complicate things with his hatred. Illsveil may be too harsh a sentence, however."

"Oh I don't know about that," Weston said, with a slight inflection at the end of his sentence, "I believe its just harsh enough." He continued, with a grin, "After all, he did commit attempted murder." He ended, with a guffaw.

"So he failed to comply with our wishes, and we are selling him out. That isn't very admirable, Weston."

"Have I earned your disfavor?"

"No… but I do think you should think a bit more rationally at times." The man in black replied.

Weston slid his glasses up, "I shall c-c-consider it." He said, the image becoming static once more.

"I'm glad you took my opinion." The man in black replied, "Usually when I tell you something, you decline and supply a haphazard reason for doing so."

"I apologize for my closed-minded-ness. It's just…when I am so deep in my research…"

"I understand, Weston. You need not apologize for your actions."

Weston nodded, and bowed.

The man in black stared at the ground, thinking about what Bartholomew had said. He turned back to Weston, "Weston," he began, "am I doing the right thing?"

"Of course you are, my friend," Weston replied, sliding his glasses up. "Are you all right? It is unlike you to doubt your actions. Are you ill? Shall I send for a medic?"

"No," the man in black said, shaking his head. "I am perfectly fine, Weston. I just needed reassurance."

"And I will always be here to offer your reassurance," Weston replied.

"Indeed. You have been here since my parents died, and I left the Locus Solus. I wouldn't expect you to abandon me now," the man in black replied.

"And I wouldn't dream of it." Weston replied. "I will continue supporting you until you force both races into submission, until the very end."

The man in black nodded in agreement. "Shall I pursue them to Honeysday?"

"No. Come back to my lab, so we can upgrade your Longhorn Nova." Weston replied.

"Understood."

"And not a minute too soon, for the astral projector has reached its limits. I wish to see you soon, my friend." Weston said, and his image vanished.

The man in black nodded, and wondered. Weston spoke of Vinchezna. Vinchezna was a well-known Veruni soldier, and in times of war, a fierce general. He was a man to be reckoned with, and the man in black did not trust him at all. He did, however, trust Weston, for Weston had been his best friend for almost twenty years, perhaps more. Vinchezna was certainly a shady character, and the man in black feared any involvement whatsoever by his hand.

"I really do wonder…am I doing the right thing? Weston…" he said, staring at the ground, and then shook his head. "Of course I am. How could I think so foolishly? Force is the only way to establish the bridge between the two races, and those who oppose me will be greeted with a blade in their chest and a shot in the heart from my Longhorn Nova, the tool that will be used to shape the world."

Realizing his current standing on his goal, the man in black walked quickly, and exited the Starlit Cave.

Weston stood on the large, glass floor in his laboratory with red streaks running across its floor. He adjusted his glasses and studiously looked at the large sliding door at the south end of the platform he stood on, as if waiting for someone.

A man walked in just then, clothed in a green leather uniform jacket, with pants to match, and boots to match as well. He wore an odd necklace around his neck, which was shaped a bit like a sword, perhaps to symbolize his ferocity. Covering his head was green hair to match his clothes, with green gloves on his hands.

The man walked forward towards Weston, and across the bridge connecting the door with the large platform.

"Vinchezna," Weston identified.

"What is it, Weston? You know I do not like to be called to this place unless it is direly important," Vinchezna stated, with an unhappy smile.

"It is about the experimental war weapon AKA "nuke". Codename: Longhorn Nova." Weston replied, sliding his glasses up.

"Ah. What about it? Are the modifications made to it not to your satisfaction?" He stated, easing his unhappy smile into a straight face and crossing his arms.

"No, they are fine, but… the 'SS: Nova Decimator' is not powerful enough. We need a 'TS'." Weston said.

"A 'TS'? As in, a 'Third Shot'?" Vinchezna asked, the anger rising in his voice, his face quickly turning back into the unhappy one.

"Indeed. With minor calibrations, we should have a new cartridge ready by the time _he_ arrives." Weston responded, sliding his glasses up.

"_He_ is coming here?" Vinchezna asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"…"

"Is something the matter, Vinchezna?"

"No." Vinchezna replied, disrespectfully. "It just really upsets me that, even with the 'SS', he couldn't complete the goal he has. And after I worked so hard on it, too. He will certainly feel my wrath."

"Your wrath?"

"Yes. My wrath. Do you have a problem with that, Weston? If you do, it doesn't matter, I won't pay attention to it." Vinchezna said, with a slight chuckle.

Weston ignored that comment. "In any case, I believe the 'TS' should be designed to shatter the spirit as well as deplete the will to fight."

"You mean, inducing a 'NE Zone'?" Vinchezna asked, with another chuckle.

"Yes, an 'NE Zone' of sorts, I suppose. Is there one able to be created that is suited to that task?" Weston wondered.

"Hmm… I would have to check the schemata, but I believe there is one that would be perfect for such a task. Of course you know, Weston, no, Dr. Carlyle, that 'NE Zones' were ruled strictly forbidden. If you use it, the Veruni higher-ups may interfere."

"…" Weston looked at him intently, "Of course I know that. This is a necessary addition in order to accomplish _his_ goal."

"If you say so." Vinchezna said, with a shrug, "Of course, I do not care either way, as long as blood is to be shed."

"…"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Good."

"…"

"In any case," Vinchezna stated, uncrossing his arms, "I'll begin work on the 'NE Zone' immediately. Until then, Dr. Weston Carlyle."

"…until then, Dominique Vinchezna." Weston replied.

Vinchezna let out a loud laugh, and walked back across the bridge and out of the room.

Weston was silent. All he did was slide his glasses up, and walked out of the room through an exit in the back.

"Finally! We're out of that cave!" Bartholomew said, relieved. He sat down outside the cave, next to a rock and laid Fereydoon on the grass. "I need to rest."

Volsung concentrated on Fereydoon, with tears in his eyes. "Will he be okay?"

Bartholomew glanced from Volsung to Fereydoon and laughed, "Him? Of course! He's tough as nails!"

Volsung glared at Bartholomew. "You aren't taking this seriously, are you?"

"I'm just trying to hide my sorrow with humor." Bartholomew smiled.

Volsung sat down across from Bartholomew, next to Fereydoon. "Thank you…for helping me. You didn't have to do that. In fact, you didn't have to do any of this. Why are you being so helpful?"

Bartholomew nudged at Fereydoon. "He asked me that already. I'm helping you two because I admire your goal. Not to mention, of course, you remind me of a younger version of myself." He reasoned, with a smile.

"You mean you were hated, and tortured, and poisoned, and constantly had someone trying to kill you the entire time you were a child?"

"No, but I did believe that one day the two races would grow to like each other…" he stated, lying through his teeth. Of course Bartholomew knew this wasn't the real reason he was helping Volsung and Fereydoon.

Volsung raised his eyebrow. "I see…"

"So you came from Twelbit?"

Volsung nodded.

"That's a long ways away from here, Volsung. He already explained to me that the two of you were forced out of your home. I want to hear your version of it."

Volsung now hung his head low, towards the ground, his eyes filling with tears. "I am a half-breed, born of a human mother and a Veruni father. Everyone in Twelbit made fun of me for my beliefs, that I would one day unite the races. It wasn't bad at first, a few shoves, and a kick in the shin every now and then, but then, it gradually became worse. My father one day went on a difficult journey to Harmonde to gather herbs and supplies for our family."

"Why couldn't you buy them from Twelbit?"

"…they wouldn't sell to us, because we were a disgrace." Volsung said, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"…I…see…" Bartholomew replied, full of sorrow.

"…anyway…my father never returned. He was attacked and killed by monsters near Harmonde… and later, my mother died of a broken heart, and stress. I was alone…confused…and didn't know what to do. For days I wandered Twelbit, wondering what I was to do, and then, I met Fereydoon… he was a kind-hearted soul. He wanted what I wanted, the races to be united, so of course, we instantly got along."

"So…why were you forced out of Twelbit?"

"…because I was a half-breed. It started by the villagers trying to exile me, and then

Fereydoon intervened. I believe Fereydoon made it worse, but that sounds disrespectful. I truly appreciate what he did. We fled from them, into Rygs Mansion. We stayed there for the remainder of the day, until at around 9:00 pm, when the villagers assaulted the mansion, and kidnapped me. They attempted to burn me at the stake, and when Fereydoon rescued me, attempted to impale me with pitchforks. We fled from Twelbit, and got on the train to Laila Belle, seeking a doctor. The man in black showed up, shot the conductor, and blew up the train, which crashed into the mountain causing a large landslide,"

"He seems to have a knack for creating explosions." Bartholomew joked, with a smile.

"…" Volsung tried to laugh, but he just could not.

"…I'm sorry." Bartholomew apologized.

Volsung continued, "…and that's when we met you, at Laila Belle."

"Wow…I never realized the two of you had it so difficult…" he lied once more.

"…yeah…" Volsung replied, solemnly. He stood up and sighed, "…we should hurry to Honeysday. The sun will be up soon, and I would like to sleep…"

"Wait." Bartholomew said, and stood up.

Volsung looked at him, "What…?" he said, through tears.

Bartholomew walked over to him and gave him a great hug. Volsung stared at him oddly. "You don't have to brave that anymore… I'm here now, and I won't let it happen again." Bartholomew said.

Volsung stopped crying and nodded. "…thank you."

Bartholomew smiled, picking up Fereydoon. He nodded, "Let's go, then."

Volsung walked down the path leading to Honeysday, wondering what the world had in store for him next. He wondered if he would be tortured, or beaten, or thrown into a river to drown. Maybe another explosion would happen, taking his life.

As they walked, Bartholomew noticed something odd about Volsung. He seemed almost angry at Fereydoon for interfering. He wasn't sure what it was about the two of them, but the relationship they had did not seem like one of true friendship, it seemed like one of duty.

It was then that Volsung had realized Fereydoon was no longer his friend. He was his servant. Bartholomew was his friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Ten**

Weston stood in his laboratory, waiting for the man in black to arrive. The laboratory was fairly large, with machines humming on every side of him. Above each machine were large test tubes, so as to hold something. There was a table in the very middle of the room that was suited for making calibrations to the Longhorn Nova. Weston slid his glasses up, gazing intently at the door on the far right side of the room, waiting for it to open.

It did, and inside walked the man in black. Over his shoulder was his Longhorn Nova. He walked forward across the room and towards Weston, who was waiting eagerly without an expression on his face.

"So you've finally arrived," Weston announced his voice loud.

"Indeed." The man in black responded, laying his Longhorn Nova on the calibrations table. "They are in Honeysday."

"Honeysday, you say…" Weston said, intrigued. "If I remember correctly, Vinchezna said the exact same thing; that they would be heading to Honeysday." He slid his glasses up.

"Is there something interesting about Honeysday?" the man in black asked, clearly confused.

"Not about Honeysday itself…but about the _people_ of Honeysday." Weston replied, a grin coming across his face. "You can get them on your side, seeing as how that boy is a half-breed. Nobody wants half-breeds, especially not the people in Honeysday."

"And at the same time we can destroy Honeysday for worsening the situation between Veruni and humans." The man in black said, understandingly.

"Correct. Longhorn Nova's 'Nova Decimator' should do the job, but…" Weston stopped, to slide up his glasses and flashed an evil grin, "…if that does not work, we have something else in store for them."

The man in black replied, while turning his view to Weston, "What would that be?"

"Vinchezna should be arriving with it about now…"

The two of them turned their gaze to the door at the far left of the room, which opened, allowing a man to walk in.

It was Vinchezna, and he carried with him a large, black, rectangular box that seemed to be no bigger than three inches tall.

"I was just telling him of your arrival," Weston told Vinchezna.

Vinchezna nodded, with an evil blood-seeking grin on his face. He stared at the man in black and frowned, "Imbecile!!" he yelled, and slapped him to the floor.

Weston glared, "Vinchezna!" he boomed.

The man in black offered no response.

"How dare you continue to toy with us in such a manner? I hope you have a good reason for failing so miserably this time!" Vinchezna yelled, acrimoniously to the man in black on the ground. After receiving no response, Vinchezna began stomping on him, "I won't accept anymore of your half-hearted work, you lazy bastard!!"

"Vinchezna! Stop this immediately!!" Weston demanded.

Vinchezna noticed Weston, and let out a low growl. "Humph…" he said, taking his foot off of the man in black.

Weston aided the man in black, "You are all right, I trust."

The man in black responded, with a nod, "Yes. I am used to Vinchezna's incoherent and incomprehensible outbursts by now."

Vinchezna only glared at the man in black.

"I did not call you here to kill him," Weston said, sliding his glasses up while his eyes pierced Vinchezna. "I called you here to present what you found, and if you continue this senseless violence I will report you to the higher-ups. I trust you remember this, Vinchezna?"

Vinchezna glowered at Weston, and responded, "…yeah. I remember."

"All right. Now show him," Weston directed.

Vinchezna placed the black box he held down on the calibrations table. "Behold," he narrated, "the glorious 'NE Zone: Misery'!"

The man in black picked up the black box and examined it, "'NE Zone: Misery'…?" he asked, as if the words had meant something to him.

"Indeed," Vinchezna nodded, "it is a device that was used many, many years ago, when "nukes" reigned the land. It is compatible with only one weapon, the Longhorn Nova."

"I see… what does it do?"

"I'm glad you asked," Vinchezna smiled, "quite simply put, it launches an infrared dome around a specific location, inducing misery, chaos, and depletes the spirit of all wills to fight against the 'Master' of the 'NE Zone'."

"The 'Master' being…?"

"Yourself," Weston inserted. "You can virtually make them do whatever you want." He slid his glasses up.

"I see…" the man in black stated, slowly beginning to laugh, "This is absolutely perfect!! Nothing will be able to stop me now!!"

"Indeed," Vinchezna said, with a sly smile. "Shall I commence with the calibrations?"

"Immediately." The man in black instructed.

"Very well." Vinchezna replied, with a smile that sought to shed blood. He walked towards the calibration table. The man in black handed him Longhorn Nova, and Vinchezna began to go to work.

-

Volsung and Bartholomew had finally reached the gates of Honeysday. It was an odd town, with a long, snaking path in the center of it leading from the gates into the town's inner sanctum. The right and left side of the middle path was elevated, with farmers working tirelessly to harvest their crops, trees beside them. It almost felt nostalgic to Volsung, and it truly seemed peaceful. Perhaps Volsung could finally find peace in a town like this… or would the appearance of this town be as deceiving as its feeling?

Bartholomew looked down at Fereydoon, who was no longer bleeding. He smiled, filled with joy that Fereydoon was all right.

Volsung yawned, "As soon as I get to the inn, I'm going to sleep…"

Bartholomew laughed, "I guess I'll have to assume guard duty, then. No rest for the wicked, I suppose." He suddenly remembered Fereydoon, "Hey! What about Fereydoon?!"

"Is there a doctor in Honeysday?" Volsung asked, hoping that Bartholomew would say no. After his encounter with Dr. Victoria, he didn't want to see another doctor ever again.

"I don't think there's an official doctor," Bartholomew replied, "but there is a little girl tending to the flowers inside the town. Perhaps she has herbs, or disinfectants?"

Volsung stared. "A…little girl attending to flowers?"

Bartholomew nodded. "She tends to the flowers because flowers are the only truly beautiful things left on this earth, with so much discrimination and hatred. The little girl lives by herself, so flowers are the only thing she can cling to for calmness and understanding."

Volsung looked at Bartholomew with a sympathetic stare. "Lives by herself…? But…what happened to her parents?"

Bartholomew shrugged, "All I know is that she had a brother named Vassim who died a long time ago."

"Oh…" Volsung said, looking at the ground, "hey Bartholomew?"

Bartholomew looked at him, "Yes?"

"How do you know so much? You knew about the little girl, you knew about Laila Belle, you even knew about the Starlit Cave. But how?" Volsung asked.

"You heard me in the Starlit Cave?"

"I was sick, not deaf."

"…"

"…"

"…well…most of my knowledge comes from books!" Bartholomew fabricated, with an innocent smile.

"Books? So you're a bookworm just like Fereydoon?" Volsung asked.

"Yep. When I was little, I loved reading books." Bartholomew continued to lie.

"I see…"

"Did you ever read books?"

Volsung shook his head, "No… everything I learned was from my parents, or from Fereydoon and Lady Diana."

"Your parents wouldn't let you read books?"

"No…the villagers wouldn't let us buy books. They said if I became smart, I might find a way to become superior over the humans." Volsung replied.

"That's horrible…" Bartholomew replied, with a sympathetic tone.

Volsung noted the sympathy and sighed. "We should hurry and get Fereydoon some help. Let's go find the little girl."

Bartholomew nodded, and the two proceeded into the village inner sanctum. As they walked into the village, they noted that it was very small. There was a group of two old men and two old ladies, sitting across from each other, one with a cat on her lap, sitting at a table in front of a kiosk that appeared to be a small café. To the right of the kiosk was a body of water, clear as the sky.

To the left of the body of water, next to the kiosk, was a field of beautiful, blooming flowers. Volsung stared at them, "…are those…the flowers?"

"Yep! Aren't they a pleasure to look at? That field is the best kept field of flowers on Filgaia." Bartholomew responded.

Volsung walked over to the flower field. There was a little girl sitting on the ground, tending to the flowers. She wore a green dress with a small satchel hung over her neck to her right hip, with pink mittens covering her hands. Her hair was braided and blonde, extending past the back of her neck.

"What are you doing?" Volsung asked.

The little girl stood up. She was the same height as Volsung, "…I'm…grooming the flowers…"

"Why?"

"…so…that they may grow big and strong…and help people…" the little girl replied, quietly.

"Oh…can flowers really help people?" he asked.

"Flowers can do anything…they…are like humans...they deserve a right to live…and pursue a future…" the little girl replied.

"…I see…" Volsung replied. "…this is a beautiful flower field you have."

The little girl blushed, "Um…th-thank…you." She sat down in the field, and Volsung followed, and sat next to her.

Bartholomew stared at them and smiled, "I'm going to take Fereydoon to the inn."

"Wait!" Volsung said, and turned to the little girl, "Could I please have a couple of herbs? My friend is injured, and-"

The little girl picked a couple of herbs and handed them to Volsung.

Volsung smiled, "Thanks," and handed them to Bartholomew.

Bartholomew walked off, still carrying Fereydoon.

"That man…the flowers say he's a very kindhearted soul…" the little girl stated, quietly.

"He's very nice. If it were not for him, I would have died." Volsung replied.

"…what happened?" the little girl asked Volsung, tending to her flowers.

"I was poisoned by a man in Laila Belle." Volsung replied.

"…" the little girl was quiet.

"What's your name?"

The little girl stared, and blushed. "M…Mariel…"

Volsung smiled, "That's a nice name. I am Volsung."

"…what…happened to your parents? Where…are they?" Mariel asked.

"…they died a long time ago." Volsung responded. He looked at her, "What about yours?

"…I don't…know. My brother raised…me…and he died…a long time ago." Mariel said sadly.

"What did he die of?" asked Volsung.

"…I don't…know." Mariel replied, staring at the ground sadly. She stared at Volsung strangely, "…you've been through a lot of hardship; that is what the flowers tell me."

Volsung nodded, "Yeah…I've…been through a lot."

Mariel stared at him, "We're alike…you and I…" she said, in her quiet voice.

Volsung stared, "I suppose so..." he realized.

"I...should be getting back to tending the flowers. Thank you for taking…the time to talk to me, and…your friend is suffering a great amount of pain. The sooner you get back to him…the better." Mariel advised.

"Right… I'll talk to you in the morning, Mariel!" Volsung said, standing up, with a smile.

Mariel nodded slowly and went back to tending her flowers.

Volsung ran across the town and towards the inn. He opened the door and ran up the stairs, looking for Bartholomew and Fereydoon.

"Done already?" a voice asked behind him.

Volsung whirled around and stared. It was Bartholomew. "Oh. Yeah."

"I see." Bartholomew said, with a smile.

Volsung nodded, and walked into the room to the left of him, and looked at Fereydoon sadly. He was laid on the second bed in the room with a large gash across his chest, unconscious. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still there. He couldn't help but feel that he was responsible for it, and looking at it made him want to burst into tears. Why had any of this happened? The man in black and Volsung were working towards the same goal. Why did they have to fight like this?

None of the questions made sense to Volsung; in fact, nothing had made sense to him, ever since he had left Twelbit. He wondered how Lady Diana was doing, and he wondered if he would finally be safe in Honeysday.

Bartholomew walked in the room and closed the door. He sat on the other bed and sighed, "He doesn't look well." He said to Volsung.

"…I know…" Volsung replied, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

Fereydoon's wound was slowly beginning to heal, though. Volsung smiled, because he knew that Fereydoon was going to be okay. He may not have been his friend, but Fereydoon was a vital part in his life, and without Fereydoon, Volsung would once again be confused and lonely.

"He'll be fine. Go ahead and go to sleep now, Volsung. You've been through a lot tonight."

Volsung nodded. He hadn't realized until now, but in one night he was forced out of Twelbit, almost blown to smithereens on a train, attacked and almost killed near Laila Belle, poisoned, and forced into a cave. And now, he had met Mariel and reached Honeysday, the town that could perhaps be his salvation. He walked over to the third bed and lay down, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came quickly, as Volsung was awoken by a storm of screaming. He slowly sat up, looking around the room. Bartholomew and Fereydoon were nowhere to be found. He listened intently to the yelling.

"Kill him!!!! Kill the half-breed!!!"

"Find him and rip him limb from limb!!!"

"Throw him in the water and let him drown!!!"

"Burn him until there is nothing left!!!"

Volsung's stomach was in knots. It couldn't be! It was happening again!

"What the hell is wrong with you people!?" a familiar voice yelled.

"Get out of our way, old man!!!"

"Stop. It is our duty to protect Lord Volsung," another voice said.

"Lord…?" asked another familiar voice. "Ha ha ha ha! What folly! Do you honestly think he cared after you were stabbed in his stead?!"

Volsung ran out of the room and down the stairs. He saw the backs of Bartholomew and Fereydoon blocking the door, and in front of them were the villagers of Honeysday.

Behind them, was the man in black with his Longhorn Nova. "You again!!" he called.

The man in black smirked. "Indeed!"

"It's about time you woke up!" Bartholomew called to Volsung.

"It is nice to see that you are all right, Lord Volsung." Fereydoon said, the sense of duty showing in his voice.

"What are we going to do? We can't just hurt these people…" Bartholomew reasoned.

The man in black grinned. "Exactly. You're trapped; the only way out is to kill every villager in front of you."

"You horrible bastard!" Bartholomew yelled.

Volsung was silent. He couldn't believe his eyes, that this was happening again.

"Wait! I have an idea." Bartholomew said, "Fereydoon, Volsung. Come with me!"

Fereydoon nodded, and Bartholomew and Fereydoon ran up the stairs. Volsung did not move.

"Lord Volsung?"

Volsung stared, "Yes?"

"Come with us."

Volsung ran up the stairs to follow them. The three of them ran into their room, as the villagers quickly ran into the inn and began yelling. There was a window on the far left side of the room, and Bartholomew ran over to it. "All right. Bear with me. I'm jumping through the window."

"That's crazy!" Volsung said.

"But it just might work…" replied Fereydoon.

Bartholomew nodded. "I'll kick the window open and jump through it. You two follow, and we'll end this immediately."

Fereydoon nodded, and Volsung did as well.

Bartholomew ran back towards the right side of the room, and was swift as he ran towards the window, and kicked it open, flying through it and smashing the man in black in the face.

The man in black flew into the air a few inches, and landed on his feet. "Humph. I should've known that distraction wouldn't work."

Fereydoon helped Volsung out the window, and then jumped out as well. The two of them closed the main entry door of the inn and bolted it. The villagers were trapped inside.

The man in black stood upright with his Longhorn Nova over his shoulder. "I won't lose this time. I have a secret weapon."

"A secret weapon?" Bartholomew asked, incredulously.

The man in black grinned wickedly, "That's right, kiddies. Lets make this quick now, because I _will_ kill you this time!!!" he said, and lowered his Longhorn Nova into a shooting position. He fired towards Bartholomew, who held out his palm to stop the shot.

While the man in black was preoccupied with Bartholomew, Fereydoon dashed forward quickly and punched him in the face. He fell to the ground and Bartholomew forced the shot back at him, which plowed through the land and towards the water, where it destroyed a barricade of land.

The man in black jumped up and gripped his Longhorn Nova and held it to the air, "This is it, kiddies!!! 'TS: NE Zone: Misery'!!!!" he yelled, and pulled the trigger on his Longhorn Nova. Instantly, the air around Honeysday grew stagnant and the ground began to turn a very dark grey. Volsung and Fereydoon kneeled, unable to stand.

"W…what's…happening!?" Volsung demanded to the man in black.

The man in black landed and smiled at Bartholomew.

"It…it can't be! It's a 'NE Zone', one of the relics from the Age of Lost Technology! That means…Longhorn Nova must be--!"

"A "nuke"; that's correct." The man in black smirked.

"But only high-class Veruni officials have access to information like that." Bartholomew reasoned.

"Correct. Which, brings me to this question." He pointed his Longhorn Nova at Bartholomew threateningly, "How do _you_ know about it? Who are you, exactly?"

Bartholomew smirked. "I'm just a man interested in helping a few kids along his journeys."

"Liar." The man in black replied, with a snarl. "Vinchezna told me about you. He said he knew _you_ would show."

"Vinchezna…!?" Bartholomew yelled, enraged. "Of course. Only he would be so cruel as to allow the use of the 'NE Zone'!"

Volsung and Fereydoon began coughing, and fell over.

"Their lives are being drained. I don't even have to lift a finger. That's the beauty of Lost Technology." The man in black grinned.

Volsung struggled, "I…won't….let it…end…this way!"

"L…Lord Volsung…!!" Fereydoon struggled, as well.

Bartholomew growled. "I told you that if you didn't change your ways, I would kill you. I meant it. Now, I'm going to enforce it." He said, and began walking forward, towards the man in black.

The man in black lowered his Longhorn Nova, preparing to fire at Bartholomew. The barrel began to divide again, revealing the sword's blade.

Bartholomew dashed quickly over to the man in black and placed his hand on Longhorn Nova. The man in black glowered, "How dare you place your hand on my Nova!!!"

Bartholomew kicked the man in black across the right check, sending him flying. He noticed that he had his Longhorn Nova, and smiled. Bartholomew tossed it up into the air, and jumped up and kicked it, splitting it in half. Longhorn Nova fell to the ground uselessly, and the stagnant air vanished.

The man in black struggled to stand, "….h….how!?!?!?!?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?" he demanded, punching his right fist into the ground. "Why do I keep losing!? Why!?"

"It's because you believed Vinchezna's lies."

"What are you talking about, you fiend?!" yelled the man in black.

Bartholomew shot him an icy glare. "Nevermind."

The man in black picked up his shattered and beaten Longhorn Nova, and looked from Bartholomew, to Fereydoon, to Volsung, and back at Bartholomew. "The two of you are too young to throw your lives away so carelessly."

Volsung stared strangely, "What do you mean?"

The man in black smirked. "You'll find out soon enough…" and, miraculously, vanished.

Bartholomew sighed, "It would seem we aren't wanted here, either."

Volsung nodded, sadly. "L…let's…go to the train station. Maybe…we can find somewhere to hide."

Fereydoon nodded. "I think we should go to Mirapulse."

"Mirapulse?" asked Bartholomew.

Volsung nodded, as well. "I agree."

"Then to Mirapulse it is," Bartholomew decided, and the three of them walked out of the Honeysday gates, leaving the town behind.

"Hmm…" a man said, hidden next to the inn. "So… Vinchezna is a liar, is he…? I will get to the bottom of this for certain." He slid his glasses up and walked over to the inn door. He unbolted the door, and opened it.

The villagers stared at him. "Where is the half-breed!!"

The man slid his glasses up, "It would seem they are fleeing to Mirapulse."

"Hmph…" said one man. "Well, it isn't our problem, then."

"No, I suppose not. I apologize for inconveniencing you." The man replied.

The villagers nodded, and dispersed to go about their business.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Eleven**

A long ways northwest from Honeysday, from which Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew were currently fleeing, was a gigantic ship, stationary in the sky far above the sea. It was white, with gold semicircles on the right and left sides of it, spikes protruding from the side of the ship and stabbing through the semicircles at various angles. The inner parts of the ship were white as well, with blue metal flooring. It was in the control room, a room that was very expansive and had a large, blue window to the north of the south entry door that the crewmates of the ship were meeting.

"Where is the captain? What is his status?" asked a crewmate.

"As I heard he was accompanying two adventurers on their travels," replied another.

"When is he due to return?"

"Soon, I hope. We can't waste anymore time. The radicals can launch a surprise attack any day now!" the second crewmate replied.

"The radicals, or at least I believe they are responsible, have launched a few attacks throughout Filgaia recently. Did you hear about the train that was destroyed near Laila Belle?" asked a third crewmate.

"Was that the radicals doing!? I thought it was a freak accident!" the first replied, flabbergasted.

"No, I'm fairly certain it was the radicals!" the third replied.

"But… why would they want to destroy a train heading to Laila Belle?"

"It might not have been the radicals," a fourth crewmate said, "but a small group remotely affiliated with them."

"Would they sink so low?" a fifth asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me. They're dirty scoundrels." the second replied.

"Watch it! Some of the Veruni higher-ups have spies posted here. If they here what you say, they'll kill you where you stand, you fool!" whispered the fourth crewmate to the second.

"You're right. I apologize sincerely," the second replied.

"Anyway, we need the captain to return soon! If war breaks out between the radicals and the moderates, we'll need his superior leadership!" the first said.

"I agree."

"So do I."

"Then we will continue to watch the Mayflower until the captain returns!"

"Yes!" they all agreed, and dispersed.

-

Meanwhile, Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew were fleeing the town of Honeysday. They had walked a good amount, and it was still morning. At this rate, without interruption, they would surely reach Mirapulse before the afternoon. Of course, Volsung knew the man in black wouldn't give up, and would surely be on their tail soon.

"I hope the train isn't rigged this time…" Volsung commented.

"Indeed…" Fereydoon replied.

Bartholomew stopped. "Rigged? You mean that explosion was…"

"Planned. Yes." Fereydoon informed, sighing.

"How in the world could the man in black pull that off? You have to be a high-class Veruni official to even remotely request such a thing! And not to mention, I highly doubt the guards would consent to it!" Bartholomew complained, smashing his palm with his fist.

"Indeed…it is skeptical…" Fereydoon replied.

Volsung glanced at the two, highly confused about what they were talking about.

"In any case, we should get to the train station. If that man in black catches up to us here, we'll have him _and _the monsters to worry about." Bartholomew replied.

"Yes, let us go." Fereydoon said, and the two of them walked on.

Volsung just stood there, confused.

"Lord Volsung? Are you coming?" Fereydoon called.

Volsung looked up at him, "Oh. I'm sorry! I'm coming!" he said, and ran after them.

They continued along the path which led from Honeysday up to the train station, nestled snuggly between the mountains and the embankment leading to the sea. The walk to this station was shorter than the walk to Alcedonia, and this path was well taken care of.

Volsung didn't notice much about the walk. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Bartholomew and what the man in black had said. He shared the man in black's curiosity.

Who was Bartholomew, and what did he want with them? Volsung tried his hardest not to dwell on it, because he didn't want to think that Bartholomew was a bad man. He had helped them so much, and he was Volsung's newest friend, the only person (besides Fereydoon) that didn't ostracize him. So, Volsung tried to forget about it, and concentrated on the walk to the station.

"Well! We're here!" Bartholomew said, coming to a stop in front of a large building.

It looked normal, much like Alcedonia. There was a sign hanging above its door that read "Meisis."

"That was a quick walk," Fereydoon commented, happily.

"Yes. The Meisis train station isn't far from Honeysday or Starlit Path. It is the closest train station to a town there is. Cavam Valley, our destination, is the farthest. But, if we walk without stopping, we can easily reach Mirapulse before the afternoon. But, I've got to ask you, Fereydoon. Why did you suggest Mirapulse?" Bartholomew wondered, turning to Fereydoon.

"I'm curious as well," Volsung added.

Fereydoon took a step forward, "If I remember correctly from the archives in the Rygs Mansion, Mirapulse is a town where anybody can live if they agree to work, or provide the necessary aid to the villagers. In other words, if you assist them with labor, you can live there with no hassle."

"That's true, for the most part. You see, to live in Mirapulse, you have to sign a contract that states you'll be working to earn your keep. But it's true that if you keep to your business and don't give the Veruni any trouble while doing your part, you won't get any trouble." Bartholomew said.

"That's the perfect place for us to begin planning…how to bridge the gap." Volsung said, hesitantly.

"….Let's hurry." Bartholomew said, ignoring what Volsung had stated, and walked up the stairs towards the doors.

Fereydoon and Volsung exchanged glances with each other, and followed.

-

The laboratory's hum was quiet. Weston was nowhere to be found, but Vinchezna stood where he usually stood, on the large platform connected to the rest of the laboratory only by a flimsy bridge. The southern door opened, and in stepped the man in black. He walked across the bridge, swiftly, with an angry expression on his face.

Vinchezna only smiled.

The man in black grabbed Vinchezna by the collar, "What's the big idea!? That 'NE Zone' didn't do a damn thing!"

Vinchezna smiled, "I apologize. During the calibrations, there was a short period in which I left the table. Weston must have modified it."

"W…what did you say?!" The man in black dropped Vinchezna, which landed on his posterior, enraged. "Why would Weston do such a thing?"

Vinchezna stood up, continuing to smile. "I don't know. Perhaps he's betrayed you."

"But…why! This doesn't make any sense! Yesterday we were just fine!" The man in black rebelled.

"Perhaps you were wrong in choosing him. It's all part of his elaborate plan to assume complete control of this laboratory. He wants to kill you, and me. After we're out of the way, all control will revert to him, as will the weapons and grants." Vinchezna said, swaying his hair.

"I…don't believe this…!" The man in black replied, staring at the ground. "Weston… would he really…"

"I'm not surprised. This is the mistake you made by trusting someone who reports directly to the higher-ups. He's most likely their patsy." Vinchezna said, in a joyful tone, as if he was enjoying every minute of the man in black's torture.

"…"

"In any case, you have failed yet again. I tire of watching you come back here with your tail between your legs. They are children. Why is it so difficult to kill them?"

"It would be difficult for you too if that man got in _your_ way."

"Nonsense. It wouldn't be difficult at all, I would slice him to ribbons and then I would slice the children to ribbons too," he said, beginning to laugh maniacally, "my heart singes with sensation just thinking about the concept of watching their lifeless bodies hit the ground… Oh yes. What an exhilarating and amusing pleasure, to see so much blood to be shed in the tides of war…"

"This isn't war; we're just trying to kill two kids."

Vinchezna gave the man in black a smile, as if lusting for blood, "It will evolve in to war if I will it to be so… and if I have to kill everyone in my path to reach them, so be it! All the more death for me!! Hahaha hahaha!!" Vinchezna laughed, his insanity increasing.

"Is that all you want!? War!?" The man in black yelled, enraged.

"Yes. I want the humans and the Veruni to go at each other's throats in a savage way, slaughtering each other, soaking the ocean with the crimson tinge of blood…" he turned to face the back of the room, "That is the only thing I have to live for in life!"

"I should've expected something from a crazy bastard like you." The man in black said.

He shrugged, "Whatever you do, keep the casualties at a minimum. You know how Weston dislikes pointless slaughter."

"Of course…" Vinchezna said, stifling more insane laughter.

"Farewell, then." The man in black said, and exited through the door he came through.

"Of course I'll keep them at a minimum… _my_ minimum." He said, with more insane laughter, and walked out of the room through the back door.

-

Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew walked up the stairs, as Fereydoon had done before when he was carrying Volsung. They looked around. The interior looked exactly like Alcedonia, the map of Filgaia on the south wall, various people staring and commenting about Volsung.

"Cavam Valley…" Volsung said, looking at the map, searching for their destination. He followed Meisis across the map, until he reached a red dot with words written above it. They read "Cavam Valley". It was to the northwest of Meisis, and it seemed like it would be a long ride.

"Our destination is far…" Fereydoon commented.

"Yep… I'll admit, if someone's going to sabotage this train, they'll have a lot of chances to do it." Bartholomew said.

"What do you mean?" Volsung asked.

"Oh nothing…" Bartholomew replied, creating another fabrication.

"For the last time! I will not go out with you! Now shoo!" a woman's voice said.

The three of them turned to stare at the woman. She was standing at the right side of the train station, standing up against the fence. Across from her was the man with green hair.

"Oh come now! Isn't it every woman's dream to be with a scientific genius like myself?" the man asked her, trying to get close to her.

She pushed him away, "I said no! And nothing you've done so far can be remotely counted as genius! Now shoo!"

"Oh come on, my dear! You cannot deny your feelings from me! They burn within you like the inside of my mouth whenever I have a big bowl of extra spicy curry!"

The woman glared at the man. "…"

"Every great scientist in history has had a female companion with him! If you don't accept my offer, I won't be able to concentrate on my work! What will you do when many people are living in dire straits, in desperate need of my scientific know-how? You'll feel bad! You'll feel as bad as a thousand wilting flowers on a winter's day!" the man with green hair reasoned.

"That's enough of this…" Bartholomew said, and proceeded to walk over to them.

"B…Bartholomew!" Volsung called, but Fereydoon stopped him.

"There's no point, Lord Volsung. Once his mind is made up, it's made up."

The woman lowered her expression into a very angry one, "I told you to go away! I don't care about your flowers or your chili!"

"CURRY!!!!" The man criticized, in tears. "HOW DARE YOU STOMP ALL OVER MY FAVORITE FOOD AS IF IT WERE A ROCK BENEATH YOUR LARGE FEET!"

Bartholomew stared at the two of them.

"…." The woman did not dignify that outburst with a response.

Bartholomew tapped the man on the shoulder, "Hey. The woman isn't interested in you. Leave her be."

"Rapscallion! How dare you tell me, a scientist, what to do!" The man in green yelled, turning to Bartholomew.

"I wonder. How easy does a scientist such as yourself bruise?" Bartholomew asked, grinding his fist into his palm.

"I…urr…umm….EEEK!!!!! DON'T KILL ME!!!!" The man with green hair said, and began to run. "I'M AS DELICATE AS A THOUSAND HAMS IN A FEAST FOR BEARS!!!" Quickly, he was out of the train station and no longer able to be seen.

The woman stared at Bartholomew. "Are you expecting my thanks?"

Bartholomew stared.

"I'm not giving it." She said, coldly.

"…"

"Now if you would kindly leave me be…" she said, and proceeded to walk down the stairs and out of the station.

"…what was _that_ all about?" Bartholomew asked, and shook his head. He walked back over to the other two, who were giggling. "What's so funny?" he asked them.

"Nothing…" The two of them responded.

"…all right, then. Let's get on the train." Bartholomew said, and walked over to the ticket taker.

Volsung and Fereydoon followed.

"Excuse me, but y…you're-!" the ticket-taker said, and stared at Bartholomew.

Bartholomew flashed him a smile, "Is there a problem? I'm just a regular guy."

Volsung and Fereydoon rolled their eyes in disbelief at the sound of "I'm just a regular guy".

"Umm…n-no sir!!" the ticket taker said, with a salute.

"Three tickets to Cavam Valley, please." Bartholomew directed.

The ticket-taker nodded and gave them the tickets, "No charge." He said, with a smile.

Bartholomew gave him a salute and walked onboard the train. Volsung and Fereydoon followed.

The ticket collector walked over to a Veruni guard, "Those are all of the people boarding, sir!"

The Veruni guard nodded. "All right. Close her up."

"Yes sir!" the ticket collector said, with a salute, and proceeded to close the train doors.

The pistons on the train began to grind, and the train wheels began to move. Before they had known it, the train began to depart from the station.

The first thing Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew noticed as they entered the train was the amount of people. They counted at least fifty people in the dining car, as they proceeded to walk to the first-class car, where they would take their quarters and relax until the train arrived at Cavam Valley. At least, that was Bartholomew's goal. Volsung and Fereydoon had questions that required answers.

The three of them made their way to the second cabin, and pushed open the partition door, walking in. Volsung closed it, and sat down next from Fereydoon at a table, across from Bartholomew.

"So…Volsung, Fereydoon. You wish to bridge the gap between the humans and Veruni…" Bartholomew said, with a serious expression.

"Uh-huh." Volsung confirmed, "I'm going to be the next Johnny Appleseed!"

At the sound of the words "Johnny Appleseed", Bartholomew's jaw dropped.

Fereydoon stared at him, "Is there a problem, Bartholomew?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow.

"N…no! Heh heh heh! Of course not!" Bartholomew said, through much sweat.

Volsung glared. "All right. The charade's over. Who are you? Who are you _really_?"

Bartholomew stared, his laughter subsiding. "What do you mean?"

"The man in black said only high-class Veruni have access to the info on the 'NE Zone'. Not only that, the ticket collector knew you! You know an awful lot for someone who's just 'just a regular guy'." Volsung explained.

Bartholomew looked at the two, with distrusting their distrusting faces. He sighed, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Of course you do. How can you not? Are you a Veruni soldier? Did they send you to spy on us?!" Fereydoon commanded.

"No."

"Then who are you!? Are you with the man in black!?"

"No."

"Then tell us! Who are you?"

"I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend. I'm on _your_ side." Bartholomew said.

"So you say," Fereydoon began, "but you seem to be well acquainted with the man in black."

"T-that's because…"

"Because why! Because he is your partner?" Fereydoon asked.

"No. It's because…" Bartholomew sighed, "It's because the man in black was my best friend… William Smith. And I'm not his partner, I'm his enemy."

"I see…" Fereydoon said.

"Who are you, then? Tell us, so we can trust you!" Volsung pushed.

Bartholomew lowered his head down towards the floor, "Heh… All right. Fair enough. My name is Captain Bartholomew."

"C-Captain?!" The two yelled, incredulously.

Captain Bartholomew nodded. "You're right about one thing; I'm a high-class Veruni. And I know your grandmother, Fereydoon."

"Lady Diana!?" the two continued to yell, more incredulously.

"Yes. We grew up together on the Locus Solus."

"Locus what-is?" asked Volsung.

"Locus Solus," Bartholomew explained. "It's where all of the Veruni originated from. Eventually, Diana migrated from the Locus Solus to Filgaia in order to raise a family. I didn't know I would run into her grandson the day I defended you two in front of Laila Belle."

Fereydoon stared, amazed.

"So how are you not our enemy?" Volsung asked. "You are a high-class Veruni! Aren't you supposed to stop all attempts at starting relations between the races?"

"Not all Veruni are bad, Volsung." Bartholomew began. "For example, Lady Diana, Fereydoon, and myself; we're good Veruni. Vinchezna, William and _him_, they are the bad Veruni."

"_Him_?" Volsung asked.

"The radical leader. The radicals are the ones that oppose all attempts of starting relations between the races. They attempt, by force, to oppress the humans to make the world better for the Veruni. _He_ leads them. I am the leader of the moderate faction. We seek a better world for the Veruni by a much more peaceful way. We also seek to open relations between the two races." Bartholomew explained.

"Who is the leader of the radical faction?" asked Fereydoon.

"Leopold Ahmveitzen." Bartholomew said, with a scowl. "We are constantly at each other's throats. We despise each other."

"All right, that clears that up. But why are you called "Captain" Bartholomew?" Volsung asked.

Bartholomew beamed with joy. "I've been waiting for this one!"

Fereydoon and Volsung exchanged glances, staring at Bartholomew oddly.

"I'm a captain of the moderate ship the 'Mayflower'!" Bartholomew replied.

"The Mayflower?" Fereydoon and Volsung asked, looking at each other.

"Yep! She's a beauty! I'll have to show the two of you sometime!" Bartholomew said, continuing with the beaming.

"When you say ship… you mean, a boat, don't you?"

"No. A ship, as in, an actual flying ship. I came down here from the Mayflower to look for Leopold. I heard he was in Laila Belle, so I went there. After finding out he had left, I saw the two of you. Now, I couldn't just leave you to die. Who would've known I would meet William there?" Bartholomew explained.

"Oh… I see…" Volsung replied.

"It's too amazing to have happened by chance!" Fereydoon replied. "And that story is preposterous! In all of the books I have read in Rygs Mansion, I have never once read anything about a flying ship!"

"Oh she's real, all right! She is about 200 or so clicks away, in the middle of the ocean." Bartholomew said, beaming.

"Why the ocean? Wouldn't it make more sense to look for Leopold on land?" asked Volsung.

"Well, in a way we are looking for two things. One, we are looking for Leopold, and two, we are looking for Sihramneux Island." Bartholomew explained.

"Sih whatsa what?" Volsung asked, confused.

"Sihramneux Island. There is a facility on it called Weitzheim. Weitzheim has been lead to be a radical facility used to replicate and modify relics from the Age of Lost Technology."

"If you could find that, looking for Leopold would be pointless, wouldn't it?" asked Fereydoon.

"Not quite. You see, Leopold fled the Locus Solus because we attacked him, and he escaped. He will most likely find a new establishment where he will hide, manipulating things behind the scenes. Sihramneux is just one of those things Leopold would manipulate. If they can replicate and modify relics, and produce "nukes" such as the Longhorn Nova, we will have a real problem on our hands. Leopold will launch them at the humans, and the humans will revolt. It will result in war for sure." Bartholomew said. "In a way, you could say that Leopold and I are the top Veruni."

Volsung blinked in disbelief. "You? The top Veruni?"

Bartholomew nodded.

"Why can't you fix things, then!?" Fereydoon asked.

"Well…not many Veruni are loyal to the moderate cause. The bulk of them side with the Radicals. We don't have any control on Filgaia, unfortunately." Bartholomew said, with a sigh. "And…in a way…it is my fault things are the way they are."

"How?" Volsung asked.

"You see… I settled the Veruni on Filgaia, and tried my best to make everything work, but nobility developed. Veruni began feeling better than humans, claiming they were the superior race. Over time, the relations between the two races declined, and things ended up the way you see now. It's like the old saying. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Bartholomew replied.

"Wait…you settled the Veruni on Filgaia…?" Volsung asked.

"That's right. I'm Johnny Appleseed." Bartholomew said.

Volsung was completely shocked. All this time, the man he had grown to trust, the man who sympathized with him.

All this time, he was Johnny Appleseed, what Volsung wanted to become.

"So why are you helping us, Bartholomew? The real reason." Fereydoon said.

"Well…I suppose it's because, in this way, I can fix things. I know its probably not really my fault, but I feel completely responsible for letting things become the way they are." Bartholomew said.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for that. The real fault rests with the Veruni and humans who have closed their hearts to relations." Fereydoon reasoned.

Bartholomew shook his head. "No, not quite. Of course, they play a part in it, but the real fault rests with people like Leopold. We were supposed to keep the races together, but we allowed one to be better than another, and the oppression only grew from there. As long as Leopold and his radical ideas exist, the oppression will continue unceasingly."

"Why is that?" Volsung asked.

"Because Leopold believes that the humans are meaningless piles of garbage. He cares only for finding a better life for the Veruni." Bartholomew explained.

"Better life?" Fereydoon asked, looking at Volsung with a confused stare.

Volsung looked at Fereydoon and shrugged. "What do you mean 'better life'? Aren't the Veruni the rulers of Filgaia; don't they live in unceasing royalty?"

Bartholomew stared at both of them and looked at the floor, "…no. The Veruni life only appears to be full of regality and assurance. Things are different underneath the surface than they are atop it. You see, there is this thing, the 'VR Factor'. Each day, it claims yet another one of the Veruni citizens."

"What is the 'VR Factor'? I've heard Lady Diana mention something about it before, but she never explained to me what it was." Fereydoon said.

"The 'VR Factor'…" Bartholomew began, hesitantly. "It's… well…you see…" His tone seemed to change from a confident one, to one of worry and sorrow. "Because we come from the Locus Solus, Filgaia rejects us. The air of Filgaia is like poison to us, slowly causing our deaths. The more we inhale it, the worse our condition become. So many Veruni citizens have been claimed because of the 'VR Factor'…" he ended, in the same sad tone.

"That's…horrible. I had…no idea…" Volsung said, staring at the ground sorrowfully.

"It's not something the Veruni speak about openly. As a matter of fact, not many of them besides Leopold, and other high ranking Veruni such as myself know about it. You're the first I've told not in the moderate faction." Bartholomew explained.

"Why don't you tell the public? Don't they deserve to know?" Fereydoon wondered.

"They are afflicted by it, as well."

"Indeed they are, but we shouldn't worry them. If they found out they were dying slowly, they would panic, and nobody wants that. If the public becomes chaotic, the humans may find their chance to strike back at the Veruni." Bartholomew continued.

"So basically Leopold is trying to find a forceful way to stop the 'VR Factor', and you are trying to find a peaceful way to stop it, while helping both races at the same time?" asked Volsung, incredulously.

Bartholomew nodded, "That's the gist of it, yes."

"Wow… Bartholomew, you're even more amazing than I thought!" Volsung said, with a smile creeping up on his face.

Bartholomew stared and grinned, "Thanks! I guess that's why my crewmates trust me with undying faith, huh?"

Fereydoon and Volsung nodded.

"Anyway! That's enough of this depressing talk! Let's talk about something else!" Bartholomew said, with a grin.

"Such as…?" Volsung asked.

"That girl you met in Honeysday!"

Volsung frowned. "What about her?"

Bartholomew smiled, "You like her, don't you?"

"N-no!" Volsung replied, shaking his head. "We were just talking about her brother and she helped get us the herbs to save Fereydoon, that's all!"

"If you don't like her, why are you getting so defensive?" Bartholomew asked, smiling.

Volsung blushed. "I-I'm not getting defensive!" he protested. "And hey! What about you and that girl at the train station?"

"What about her?"

"Do you like her?"

"I don't even _know_ her! I saved her, then she gave me the cold shoulder. I don't know what her problem was!" Bartholomew replied, objecting.

"Uh-huh…" Volsung said, rolling his eyes.

The two of them talked like this for a little while, with Fereydoon sitting there laughing the entire time. It seemed like the peaceful talking would never end. Unbeknownst to them, however, a grim encounter would be waiting for them; watching their every move.

Soon, they would know the true meaning of fear.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, Vinsfeld did most of the writing, while I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Twelve**

The young Veruni man shuffled across the snow, his white robe fluttering in the wind as he proceeded. The robe was rather small, with a gold trim on the cuffs on the right and left hand. His right hand was at his chest holding a red book, and his left hand was dangling uselessly, pointed towards the ground. The man's face was generally covered by the robe's hood, covering all but his eyes, which looked like two bottomless holes, stopping nowhere in sight. His hair was blue, and it seemed to extend past the nape of his neck. On his feet were winter boots, the length of which was from the top half of his leg to the bottom of his feet. His small, yet regal white robe covered his body, making him blend perfectly into the snow. He proceeded to walk slowly and cautiously across the snowy wasteland, not stopping at all, carrying his red book very close to his chest.

At last, he was greeted by an unfamiliar woman.

"Well met, Sir Leopold." She said, with a small curtsey.

Leopold stopped in his path, looking up at the woman. "Well met, Leona." He replied, barely above a whisper.

Leona was a tall, slender woman with green hair, and glasses framing her black eyes. She wore blue battle armor which encased her entire body, save for the neck up. Her armor glistened in the snow as she smiled at Leopold.

Leopold continued to speak. "I trust you brought the documents."

"Of course I did, Sir Leopold, though I fail to understand the reasoning behind meeting in this place every day. Would it not make more sense to meet at Weitzheim?" Leona asked, handing Leopold a metal bound tome.

Leopold took the tome and looked it over before smiling. He replied, "Exquisite… though, I suppose it's to be expected from Vinchezna's sister."

Leona eased her smile into a straight face, "Please, refrain from calling me that, Sir Leopold. I am my own person, after all."

Leopold gazed at her with his black eyes. As Leona stared into them she felt a sword of fear pierce directly into her heart. It was like staring into an abyss of nothingness.

"Weitzheim is not a safe place for me. It is on Sihramneux. If the moderate faction hasn't discovered Sihramneux by now, I would be greatly surprised; besides, being in a remote location while being able to maintain everything in Weitzheim with no opposition has its advantages as well. For example, if I were not able to moderate Weitzheim, I would not have been able to see your shining face on this day." He replied, taking Leona's left hand in his right and kissing it gently.

Leona blushed. "S…Sir Leopold, please, do not say such things. It is my responsibility to ensure that everything in Weitzheim is reported to you. My brother is a sinful dog who hides much from us."

Leopold nodded. "I am aware, my love." He said, placing his left hand on her cheek.

Leona blushed and stood there, in awe for a few seconds, before stepping back a step so as to distance herself from Leopold. "…while I appreciate your concern about me, sir, we have bigger things to concentrate on. My brother is planning something evil. I have a feeling he is trying to take full control of Weitzheim."

Leopold smirked, as if unfazed by the information. "You underestimate my intelligence, Leona. I am already aware of this. Vinchezna has been planning for a very long time now."

Leona stared, "I should have known. You are always one step ahead of everyone else, Sir Leopold."

Leopold smirked. "Of course. I am the leader of the radicals; I must always be a step ahead. Especially ahead of…._him…_"

"You mean…?"

"Yes. That moderate bastard. How dare he act so smug… it is not over yet, no, it is far from it. And if they do not find Weitzheim soon, my goal will have been accomplished." Leopold said an evil glimmer in his eyes.

"…goal, sir? What do you mean?"

Leopold stared at Leona, surprised. "Leona! I am surprised! You did not read the contents of this metal bound book? That is highly unlike you!"

Leona did not respond.

Leopold took her hand once more and stroked it gently, "My love… you see, I am going to use Weitzheim to create a weapon that will end the moderates once and for all. I will shoot the Mayflower right out of the sky, and reclaim the 'Black Box'! And for this, I need the experimental advances made on the "nuke" weapon: Longhorn Nova."

"Is there really a way to destroy the Mayflower, Sir Leopold?"

Leopold kissed her hand once more, "Of course there is. There is a way to do everything; it is up to you to find it. That is how science works, my love… and the destruction of the Mayflower shall be my wedding gift to you." He said, with a smile.

"W…wedding!?" she asked, blushing.

"Yes. I am going to marry you, Leona. I love you." Leopold said, and let her hand go.

"S…Sir Leopold… I…"

Leopold walked towards her and embraced her, hugging her tightly. "I love you with all of my heart, Leona. Nobody will take you away from me… not even the 'VR Factor'. That is why I will find a way to do away with the 'VR Factor'… my way, not _his _way."

"And how will you do this, sir?"

Leopold smirked. "Leave that to me, my love…" he whispered into her ear.

"Y…yes, Sir Leopold…" she replied.

The train was eerily quiet. Volsung was asleep on the floor while Bartholomew was reading a book. Fereydoon was standing watch outside the room, keeping an eye out for the man in black, whom he knew would attack.

The train continued along the tracks, the scenery going by quickly. They were far from Honeysday now.

Bartholomew turned a page in his book, and sighed. "It's too quiet…"

Volsung responded with a quiet snore.

"Something isn't right here…" he continued.

Fereydoon walked down the hallway, looking for any suspicious characters. His search yielded nothing. All of the other passengers were quietly conversing in their quarters, aside from the ones enjoying their breakfast in the dining car. He breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps this truly would be a peaceful ride with no interferences. The train rounded a mountain and the ride continued uninterrupted.

"Excuse me," a man said, walking up to him.

Fereydoon stared. He was a train official. "Yes?"

"Shouldn't you be in your room, sir? You could be injured out here. The train goes pretty fast." The man replied.

"I have a reason to be out here." Fereydoon replied.

"Well please go back inside. In case something bad happens, we can't ensure your safety."

Fereydoon glowered at the man. "What do you mean?"

The man walked closer.

Fereydoon backed away.

The man continued to walk closer to him.

"Stop." Fereydoon commanded.

"No." the man said and, with a smile that lusted for blood, kneed Fereydoon in the gut. Fereydoon fell on the ground, coughing.

"Who a-" he coughed, "who are you?!"

The man threw off his hat and grinned, "My name is Dominique Vinchezna. Its nighty-night…" he kicked Fereydoon hard, who flew across the room and smacked into the wall, falling onto the floor unconscious. "Hmm…should I kill him?" Vinchezna asked himself, with a bloodcurdling smile. "If I kill him, he won't be a nuisance… but… someone might notice…"

Vinchezna shrugged. "I'll kill him after I kill the others." He said, with his blood lusting smile.

Meanwhile in the quarters, Volsung was sleeping peacefully, while Bartholomew was having a drink of water at the table. He stared out the window into the scenery, and smiled. It was a peaceful ride, for once. He could sit back and enjoy it without worry of being attacked.

A knock was heard on the door.

Bartholomew stared at it, and stood up. Cautiously he walked to it and pushed it to the right, and stared. "Yes?"

"Hello, old friend!" Vinchezna said, with a smile.

"VINCHEZNA!!" he yelled, taking a defensive stance.

"Now now, I wouldn't do that! Seeing as how I have a bargaining token for you…"

Bartholomew growled. Instantly, he knew who Vinchezna spoke of. "Fereydoon…" he said, silently.

"Now why don't you have a seat, like a good little boy?" Vinchezna said, with a sickening smile.

Bartholomew glared, but complied and sat down at the table.

Vinchezna walked over to Volsung and stared at him with a disgraceful look, "Humph! What a disgrace! This kid is a threat to us? How?"

"Don't act so high and mighty, Vinchezna, or you'll regret it." Bartholomew said with a snarl.

Vinchezna turned eerily to Bartholomew. His eyes grew wide and he smiled evilly.

"You're interfering…" he said, and held out his right hand, where a large red spear materialized.

Bartholomew stared.

Vinchezna stabbed the spear into Bartholomew, pinning him to the wall. "Now be quiet, you filthy worm!!!" he yelled, kicking him in the chest.

"Bastard!! That was a cheap shot!" He yelled.

"Who cares? Shut up before I cut off your arm!" Vinchezna threatened, grinding the spear deeper into Bartholomew. He walked over to Volsung and kicked him. "Wake up!!!"

Volsung didn't move.

"DAMN YOU!!! I SAID WAKE UP!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!" Vinchezna yelled, and kicked Volsung at the wall.

Volsung smacked it and stared. "Who are you!?"

"None of your damned business!" Vinchezna said, and suddenly turned. Sounds of footsteps came down the hall, and the partition door was thrust open.

It was the conductor. "What's going on in here!?" He yelled, angrily.

Vinchezna smiled and pulled a pistol from his coat. Without hesitating, he shot the man in the forehead.

The conductor stared for a few moments, and fell over, blood covering the floor.

Volsung screamed. "W…why did you kill him! He didn't do anything!"

Bartholomew growled, "BASTARD!!!" he yelled, and took the spear and threw it at Vinchezna.

Vinchezna did a back flip over the spear, which stabbed into the wall and dematerialized. "That wasn't very nice, Bartholomew." He said, with a bloodcurdling laugh. Vinchezna turned to Volsung, his back towards Bartholomew.

Bartholomew saw this as the perfect opportunity. He ran at Vinchezna and grabbed him by the neck, tightening his grip. Vinchezna felt his throat tightening and his breath leaving him.

"Do…you…think…you…can…kill…me, Bartho…lomew?" he asked, in a raspy voice.

"I'll sure as hell try!!" Bartholomew yelled. "Volsung run! Find someone that can stop the train! Quickly!"

Volsung stared at Vinchezna in horror, and at Bartholomew. He nodded, and ran out of the room and down the hall.

Bartholomew tightened his grip around Vinchezna's neck, who struggled to get free.

After having weakened him a significant amount, he threw Vinchezna at the table which toppled over and sent a glass bottle smashing on Vinchezna's head.

Vinchezna stood up with a crazily evil smile. "Tell me…." He said, "How many people are behind this left wall?"

"A family of four I believe," Bartholomew replied.

"It's a shame you were on the same train…isn't it?" He asked, materializing his spear again.

"NO!!! YOU BASTARD!! DON'T!!!" Bartholomew yelled, running at Vinchezna.

"TOO LATE!!!" Vinchezna yelled. "GUNGIR!!!"

At the spear's blade, a ball of kinetic energy began to build. The ball slowly began to absorb itself into Vinchezna's spear. Vinchezna laughed maniacally, and thrust the sword forward, sending a large ray of kinetic energy (and Bartholomew) flying through the left wall, leaving nothing in sight. The family of four was nowhere to be found. Bartholomew smacked into the wall, which sent a wardrobe falling and smashing the floor of the train.

"I was going to minimize the killing… but seeing as how you decided not to go peacefully…I'm going to decapitate each and every passenger on this train. The floors shall run red with blood, and it will be your fault! Hundreds of people will die!" Vinchezna said, laughing maniacally, proceeding to run off with his spear.

"N…no!!" Bartholomew yelled, struggling to stand.

Volsung ran frantically down the halls of the train, screaming for help. Nobody paid him any mind. "The conductor's been shot!!" he yelled.

"You're lying, kid. Stop pulling pranks."

"What an uncivilized child! I do hope his mother gives him a good spanking!"

"Conductor? Shot? Don't make us laugh!"

Volsung continued to run until he reached the conductor's car and could run no more. He searched frantically for someone to help him, but nobody was found.

Vinchezna appeared behind him and kicked him across the room, flying into the control console. "You stupid brat!" he yelled.

Volsung shook his head and stared, "What do you want with me!?"

Vinchezna walked closer, his spear poised to stab Volsung directly in the heart.

"S…stay away!!!" Volsung screamed, horrified.

Suddenly, the people Volsung had been talking to ran into the car.

"He was right!! The conductor is gone!!" The first said.

"That man has a spear!!" The second replied.

"We have to help that little boy!!!" The third decided.

Volsung stared at them. They didn't know he was a half-breed?

Vinchezna turned and grinned, "Oh goodie! More people to kill!" he said, and sent his spear through the first man.

The first man screamed, blood gushing from his wound. Vinchezna shot him in the chest and he fell to the floor lifelessly.

Volsung's eyes grew wide. There was so much blood. He felt sick, and didn't want to be in the train anymore. "STOP!!" he yelled, crying.

The other two people turned around and ran off. "I'm getting out of here!!" the third man yelled.

Vinchezna laughed, "Oh no, you don't! Did I say you could run away!?!?" he screamed, and threw his spear at the man, which stabbed through him. Volsung saw this as the perfect opportunity to escape. But how? He couldn't run past Vinchezna that would be suicide. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled at what would be his salvation! It was a small hatch leading to the roof. A ladder led up to it.

It was a crazy idea, but Volsung turned to the control console and stared at the "car release" button. There was one to detach the conductor's car from the others. He started by pulling the lever to open the hatch.

Vinchezna continued his distant assault, not paying any attention to Volsung and paying more attention to the massive blood pool he had created.

Volsung quickly smashed the car release button.

Vinchezna stared, "What in the hell do you think you're doing you damned brat!?"

Volsung didn't respond. Instead, he used the time that Vinchezna had wasted talking to leg-sweep him to the ground. Then, he quickly climbed up the ladder and through the hatch, onto the roof of the conductor's car.

"Stupid brat!" Vinchezna yelled, acrimoniously. He spun his pistol around and began firing in all directions, shooting the windows, the control console, and one bullet came dangerously close to hitting Volsung. He then proceeded to climb up the ladder towards Volsung. Volsung stared at Vinchezna, who was approaching, and the hatch.

"I'm sorry for this!" he said, and slammed the hatch on Vinchezna, who went tumbling to the floor.

"BASTARD!!" He heard Vinchezna yell, completely irate.

Volsung paid it no mind. He carefully began traversing the roof of the conductor's car, coming closer and closer to the second car. He had made it just in time; the cars had not fully divided yet, but they were dangerously close! He had to jump across the gap and to the second car. If he missed, he would surely die.

He ran backwards very fast, and started to run forward.

To his horror, he heard the hatch open, and the sounds of Vinchezna coming up the ladder.

There was nothing left to lose! Volsung ran to the edge of the car and jumped with all his might, hoping and praying to make it to the other side. As he did, Vinchezna shot his leg, sending him to fall from the air. Quickly, Volsung grabbed onto the platform above the tracks, leading to the second car. The only thing separating Volsung from the tracks and a painful death was the platform he clung to for dear life.

"Stupid ass kid!" Vinchezna yelled, walking forward with his pistol pointed at Volsung's back.

Volsung tried his hardest to hoist himself to the top of the platform, but to no avail. It was the end. Volsung would die here.

"Sayonara!" Vinchezna said, maniacally, and fired a shot. Volsung froze. The shot was coming swiftly towards him.

Suddenly, he felt someone pull him up on the platform and run back inside with him.

Vinchezna growled and jumped to the roof of the second car, running across it faster than Volsung and the unknown savior. He smashed open the hatch at the end, dropping into it and smiling at them.

"That's far enough." He said, raising his spear.

"You never die, do you!" yelled the unknown savior.

Volsung did not respond. He was preoccupied with staring at the blood in the second car.

"In case you haven't noticed, this train is a runaway. Soon, it will crash. Are you going to die?" asked the unknown savior.

"Volsung!" yelled a voice from behind Vinchezna.

Volsung stared. It was Bartholomew.

Vinchezna turned around and back to Volsung. He growled deeper, "You still insist on continuing this pointlessness! Fine!! I'll kill all of you here and now! Prepare to die!"

"Drop it, Vinchezna!" Bartholomew yelled.

Vinchezna smiled evilly, "This is why I have two weapons," he said, and pointed the pistol at Bartholomew, with the spear poised to stab Volsung and the unknown savior.

The unknown savior stared at him, along with Volsung.

Bartholomew didn't make any sudden movements.

Vinchezna laughed maniacally and kicked Bartholomew while throwing the spear at the unknown savior, stabbing them to the wall. Volsung fell to the floor and stared.

Vinchezna shot Bartholomew in the leg, and made his way towards the unknown savior. He smiled and took the spear in his hands, "Watch, child. This is what happens for defying me."

Volsung stared, horrified.

Vinchezna took it and twisted the spear's blade in the wound. The unknown savior cried out in terror. Volsung tried to look away, but he couldn't. "W…why!? Stop!! I'm the one you want, not that person!"

Vinchezna took the spear out and the person fell to the ground. He slashed the unknown savior's chest. A bright red wound appeared on their skin, and blood began to fall to the floor. "Oh look at that! You bleed too easily!" he yelled, and slashed again, and again, and again until the unknown savior's chest was completely full of slashes and blood.

"STOP!!!" Volsung yelled, crying, shivering, and scared for his life.

Vinchezna took the pistol and pointed it to the unknown savior's temple, stabbing the spear into the wound he had used to pin them to the wall. "How sad for you. You died protecting a half-breed."

"Half-breed? What!?!" The unknown savior yelled, hesitantly.

Volsung continued to cry. "Stop!" he yelled and ran at Vinchezna, who smacked him against the wall again.

Vinchezna twisted the spear's blade again and kicked the unknown savior, who fell to the floor. He began stomping on them repeatedly, until the unknown savior was near death. At that point, he took out the spear and smiled at the unknown savior, whose face was writhing with pain and horror.

"I'm going to let you bleed to death," Vinchezna said, laughing maniacally. He walked over to Volsung and smashed him against the wall, holding the spear to his chest. "This is why I told William I would succeed. You are powerless against me. Look at you! You're pitiful! You're crying for someone you didn't even know! At the sight of blood, you shiver! I bet you feel like fainting, don't you!"

Volsung did not respond.

Vinchezna smiled, "I'm not going to let you die yet. Oh no. I'm going to let you remember this day and tremble in horror at the very mention of my name. But I'm leaving you with a parting gift," he said, and stabbed the spear through Volsung's shoulder.

Volsung yelled out, in horrible pain, blood dripping from the spear blade.

"Maybe you'll bleed to death, too!" he said, with a blood lusting grin.

Volsung tried to speak, but he couldn't say a word. The horror was too much. The people that died, the blood that was on his shoes and his hands…

They had all died… and it was his fault. It was his fault that they were on the same train as him.

He wanted to faint. He was going to die. Bartholomew was bleeding to death and

Fereydoon was nowhere to be found. And all Vinchezna could do is laugh at the misfortune.

He knew his path would be difficult…but he didn't know this would happen. Never in a million years did he expect so much death and blood.

Vinchezna's spear dematerialized and he grinned. "We WILL meet again."

And then, with a bloodcurdling laugh that Volsung would never forget, he vanished.

Volsung fell to the floor, covered in blood.

Bartholomew stared, and stood up. He walked over to him. "Volsung…"

Volsung was motionless.

"Volsung…?" he asked, shaking him a bit.

Volsung did not respond.

"…" Bartholomew picked up Volsung and the unknown savior. He walked to the third car and stared at Fereydoon, who had just regained consciousness.

Fereydoon stared at the blood on the floor, "W…what happened here!?" he yelled, horrified.

Bartholomew responded, "Fereydoon, come close to me, please."

Fereydoon nodded, and walked close to Bartholomew.

Bartholomew pushed a few buttons on a large black device and said the following words,

"Mayflower! This is Captain Bartholomew! Request immediate emergency evacuation!"

"It's about time you contacted us, Captain! We've been worried sick!" a crewmate responded.

"I'll tell you all about it! Quickly, take us to the Mayflower!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" The crewmate responded.

In a glowing ball of light, the four of them disappeared, and flew away from the train towards the ocean.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Thirteen**

Volsung looked around the city confusedly.

"Wh…what am I doing here…?" he asked himself.

The villagers were surrounding him, chanting; they chanted, "Kill the half-breed…kill the half-breed…kill the half-breed…" almost mechanically, as if being controlled by something and forced to say those words.

Volsung fell on the ground to his knees. The ground was cold, and felt very much like the emptiness within his heart, and the feeling of sheer horror he had felt on the train. He had never felt that feeling before, not even when the villagers were going to burn him at the stake. He couldn't describe it; it was a dark and terrible feeling, as if a sword had been stabbed directly through his heart. The feeling only intensified when he thought of Vinchezna, the man that owned him now, the man that caused the pain and trepidation in his body and soul.

And now he was back in Twelbit, where it had all started. He was certain now; the train had exploded and killed them all. Twelbit was his purgatory, where he would remain for the rest of his life, trapped between Filgaia and Heaven.

So Vinchezna had won, after all. At least he no longer owned Volsung. Volsung was his own man now, even though he would forever be trapped in the confines of his own memories for the rest of his days. But… despite this, Volsung could not let go of the lives he had the responsibility of. If they had only taken a different train, they would all be alive.

The chanting grew louder, and much more forceful. "Kill the half-breed! Kill the half-breed! Kill the half-breed!" the villagers yelled, coming closer to Volsung.

Volsung concentrated on the ground, his eyes focused so much that he felt faint. He gripped the top of his head and yelled, in agony, "S…STOP!! Please!! Don't say that anymore!"

"Kill the half-breed…" the villagers continued, spiritlessly, enclosing on Volsung.

"It's all your fault that those people died…"

"You're better off dead…"

"Nobody wants you, so why don't you just kill yourself? All you're doing by living is causing others to die."

"It's not my fault! It's Vinchezna's fault! He killed all those people!" Volsung claimed in defense.

"And who did Vinchezna come after on the train…?" asked a villager, hypnotically.

"I-I don't know!!" Volsung said, his voice rising with an inflection of fright.

"It was you!"

"Why do they want me? What did I ever do to those people?"

A dark figure walked behind the circle of villagers closing in on Volsung. It spoke low and dark, "Of course you know what you did. This is what you chose when you chose the path of the one to bridge the gap."

Volsung stood up and glanced at the figure in disbelief. "Wh…who are you?" he asked, hesitantly, almost in a stutter.

The darkened figure slowly became visible, and Volsung gasped when he saw who he was. "You're… me!"

The figure nodded. "So long as you continue to attempt to bridge the gap between Veruni and humans… you will continue to suffer this way. You will see horrible things. The radicals will stop at no length to accomplish their goals."

"Their… goals? What are their goals?" Volsung asked, incredulously. "Why do they want me?"

The figure smirked. "Shouldn't that be obvious by now? What you're trying to do is threatening their existence. They will continue to attack you until you finally yield to them and die."

Volsung shook his head, "But if I bridge the gap, I'll be helping the races!"

"NO!" the figure replied, forcefully. "By bridging the gap, you'll be helping _one_ race! The humans! The Veruni will continue to die by the 'VR Factor' no matter how much unification you do! Don't you understand now, why so many people fail at unifying the races? Why so many try but fall short, leading morose, crestfallen remainders of their lives exiled from society, growing bitter and full of resentment?"

"No… I don't understand. How can equality be a bad thing?!"

The figure smirked again, "I've had enough of you. You will realize soon enough… and you, too, will fail at unifying the races. You, too, will lead a morose, crestfallen life." It said, with a loud laugh, and then the entire surrounding grew dark.

A jolt woke Volsung up. He looked around the room he was in. It was a large room with many beds on each side covered with white sheets. The floor, wall, and ceiling was made of a strange metal, which shined with a tinge of blue.

"W-where am I? Is this Weitzheim?!" he asked, standing up, pacing back and forth confusedly.

"Weitzheim?" he heard someone behind him ask.

He whirled around, and there he saw Vinchezna.

Volsung backed away, "S-stay back! Get away from me!"

'Vinchezna' stared at him oddly. "Volsung, what's the matter?"

"H-how do you know my name?" Volsung asked, trembling.

"What do you mean by that? Of course I know your name! We're friends!" 'Vinchezna' replied. "Or…so I thought…"

Volsung continued backing away, "N-no! We aren't friends! You tried to kill me!"

'Vinchezna' walked over to Volsung and shook him, "Volsung! I am not Vinchezna!

What's wrong with you? Don't you recognize me?"

Volsung looked closely at the person shaking him. Now, he realized it was Bartholomew.

"…"

Bartholomew hugged him, "I'm… very glad you're all right, Volsung. If Vinchezna had killed you, I…"

Volsung began to cry, "Bartholomew… what's happening to me? I… I don't know what's real anymore… I thought you were Vinchezna!"

"It's all right," Bartholomew said, still hugging Volsung. "I won't let him find you again."

"I … I had… a dream, Bartholomew. In the dream I saw myself…"

Bartholomew let him go and gestured for him to sit down on the bed. "Tell me about the dream."

"I was in Twelbit. Everything was dark. The villagers kept coming close to me, calling me a half-breed and saying that I was better off dead… and then I saw myself. The other me told me that Vinchezna was after me because I'm threatening his existence. Is what I'm trying to do wrong, Bartholomew?" Volsung asked, explaining the dream.

"No. But, bridging the gap is the first step to finding a way for the Veruni to survive."

"…but…"

"Don't listen to that voice in your head. That's the one that will lead you to ruin. It's the one that will lead you to question your goal. If you have to question your goal, it's not one worth following." Bartholomew replied, reasoning with him.

Volsung nodded, even though he still questioned what he was trying to do. "Where are we?" he asked.

"The Mayflower," Bartholomew replied. "I brought the three of you here when

Vinchezna retreated."

"Wait… three?" Volsung asked, confused.

Volsung heard Bartholomew say, "You…Fereydoon and….

….Vinchezna…"

Volsung blinked, "V…Vinchezna is here!?"

Bartholomew stared oddly, "Huh? Of course not! He's the enemy!"

"But you just said…"

"I said I brought you, Fereydoon and the unknown person."

Am I going crazy…? Volsung thought to himself. I could've sworn I heard him say…

"Who is the unknown person?"

Bartholomew shrugged, "We have no idea. They haven't woken up yet, and they have no identification on them."

"Is that odd?"

"Yes. Usually, you have to have a train pass to get on the train. To get a train pass, you usually have to show identification. But this person… it's almost as if…"

"As if…?"

"It's almost as if they knew this would happen, and purposely saved you." Bartholomew said.

"A set-up? But why? That makes no sense."

"Well, the other radicals have never trusted Vinchezna. There has always been internal strife. Maybe the unknown person is one of them?"

"What is Vinchezna aiming for?"

"Who knows," Bartholomew said, with a shrug. "Let's not worry about it now. There's something I want you to see."

Volsung nodded.

The two stood up and walked out of the room.

-

"…it would seem Vinchezna did not keep to his word." Weston said, adjusting his glasses, standing on the large platform linked only by a bridge.

"I did not expect him to," an astral image said, "He is a pathological liar."

"If what you're saying about how he lied to William is true… William no longer trusts me." Weston continued.

"That is likely, Weston." The astral image replied.

"Tnaeira, have you noticed anything odd lately? I feel as if someone is extracting information from my laboratory." Weston asked.

Tnaeira shook her head, "No, Weston. I have not."

"Hmm… could it be that someone in our midst is a traitor?"

"Or is it an outside hack?" Tnaeira suggested.

"It could very well be. Weitzheim's security is not what it used to be. Most of the security personnel were used for the 'compatibility' project."

Tnaeira cringed at the mention of the 'compatibility' project. "…and I'm assuming that did not turn out satisfactory?"

"No." Weston replied, adjusting his glasses, "it was a horrible failure."

"And such is the reason why you were force to replicate the "nuke" Longhorn Nova?"

Tnaeira asked. "Tell me. Why did you choose this location to create Weitzheim?"

Weston smirked. "Does it not suit you, Tnaeira?"

"It does," Tnaeira replied.

"The reason why Weitzheim is on Sihramneux Island is because Sihramneux is very small, shaped no bigger than a small coin. You can search for days, years, months even, and never find it."

"So this place is where I shall come back to once I am revived?" Tnaeira asked.

"Yes. I will pull you from the spirit world back to this laboratory." Weston said, "And then the two of us can run away together, leaving this place behind forever."

"Vinchezna will never allow that." Tnaeira replied.

"Most likely not, but, if I can plant the seeds of doubt within William that Vinchezna is a traitor, Vinchezna will be too distracted to notice us." Weston said, sliding his glasses up.

"It is too bad my soul is bound to the spirit world, and my mind inside this place. If it were not that way, I could do away with Vinchezna."

"He is aware. That is, of course, why he killed you."

"…yes. I have not forgotten." Tnaeira said, with a nod.

"Someone approaches. I bid you farewell." Weston said.

Tnaeira nodded, and her image disappeared.

The door at the south end of the room opened, a man walking across the bridge towards Weston. It was Vinchezna.

"Ah, Vinchezna. What brings you back here so soon?" Weston asked.

"Silence, you cur." Vinchezna said his tongue like a sword. "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing."

Weston adjusted his glasses and smiled, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You leaked information to the radicals!!" Vinchezna threatened.

"How dare you accuse me of treason?" Weston growled, "I would never leak anything to those wretched demons! If anyone has been leaking information, it would be you!"

"Well I can assure you it was not. I have nothing to gain for doing such a thing. There's no bloodshed to be had in that." Vinchezna said, with his smile that lusted for blood.

Weston laughed, "You are a fool, Vinchezna. You're foolishness will be your downfall. He will not be unaware of your involvement with them for much longer."

Vinchezna closed his eyes, and grinned, showing his teeth. "Watch it, Weston…" he said in a dark tone, "…or you'll go the way of Tnaeira."

Weston stared; his eyes growing wide as he gradually grew angrier, "How dare you, traitorous filth! Leave my sight immediately!"

Vinchezna threw back his head and laughed, "Very well." He said, and walked across the bridge, laughing maniacally.

Weston growled and punched one of the machines, "He enrages me so!"

-

Volsung and Bartholomew walked into the door at the very top of the long, uphill path to the right of the infirmary. It lead them into a very large room, with a chair in front of the door and control consoles all around. To the north wall was a large window.

"Captain Bartholomew!" A crew mate said, running to Bartholomew with a salute.

"What is your report?"

"We have yet to find Sihramneux Island, sir!" replied the crew mate.

"I see… no progress?" Bartholomew sighed, "I'm starting to doubt the existence of this place…"

"How are you even sure Weitzheim exists…?" Volsung asked.

"We intercepted documents that were to be delivered to Leopold. They described a large-scale facility positioned on Sihramneux Island called 'Weitzheim'."

"Large-scale … facility?" Volsung asked.

"A laboratory." Bartholomew simplified.

"I…see." Volsung responded.

"They are researching weapons of Lost Technology, I suppose. As I said, they have the power to replicate weapons of Lost Technology. If Leopold succeeds-"

"Captain!!" another crew mate said, running into the room.

Bartholomew stared, "Yes?"

"We have a transmission from an unknown location! They request to speak to you directly!"

Bartholomew thought for a few seconds and nodded. "All right. Patch it through." He said.

"Yes sir!" replied the crew mate, and ran out of the room.

Volsung and Bartholomew turned to the large window, which suddenly turned into a screen. A man in a robe was on it, standing in the snow.

The man smiled, "Hello, Bartholomew…"

"LEOPOLD!!!" Bartholomew identified.

Leopold grinned, "Yes. I trust you are doing well? We can't have you die just yet, you know."

Bartholomew growled, "What do you want, Leopold?"

"I understand you're searching for Weitzheim…" Leopold said.

"That's right, what about it?"

"I trust you realize that Weitzheim will never be found?" Leopold said, with a smile.

"…"

Volsung walked forward, "Are you Leopold, the radical leader?"

Leopold stared at Volsung, "Yes. And you are…?"

"Volsung."

At the sound of the name, Leopold's expression slowly declined into a low glare. "So you are Volsung…"

"What do you want with me?"

Leopold laughed, "So you're traveling with children now, Bartholomew?"

"Don't start with your semantics, Leopold. Why did you send Vinchezna after Volsung?"

Leopold stared, confusedly. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Vinchezna attacked us on the way to Mirapulse! Why did you send him to do so?!" Bartholomew said, acrimoniously.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I just have to tell you something, Bartholomew. _It is too late to find Weitzheim. My goal is complete._ In a matter of days, I will send your Mayflower plummeting from the sky."

"Impossible. You couldn't have amassed such a weapon!"

"You underestimate my resources, my friend…" Leopold said, gazing at them with his eyes that resembled an abyss.

Volsung felt a shiver, and he instantly remembered what happened at the train. The memories flashed through his mind of Vinchezna and his cruelty towards the people on the train. The blood on his hands and shoes appeared again, to him only, and he was horrified. "N…no!!!" he yelled. "Not again!!!!"

Bartholomew turned to him, "Volsung! What's wrong?"

"Stop! Leave those people alone, Vinchezna!" Volsung yelled, gripping his head in agony.

Leopold laughed, "How amusing. That child must've taken on Vinchezna."

Bartholomew replied, "Shut up, you bastard! How could you have gotten such a weapon to destroy the Mayflower!?"

"It is called research and development. After your Mayflower tumbles from the sky in shame and defeat, I will absorb the 'VR Factor' into this weapon and fire it into space, where it will never be seen again. It will forever be erased from Filgaia, and the Veruni will survive."

Volsung fell to the floor. Bartholomew kneeled down and helped him up, "Are you all right?!"

Volsung stared at Bartholomew, his eyes as black as Leopold's.

"Hahahha…." Leopold laughed, "you may try to find Weitzheim if you wish. You have three days to stop us. If you do not stop us in three days, I will fire the 'Ultimaga Devastator' at the Mayflower."

"You replicated the 'Ultimaga Devastator'…!"

"Indeed." Leopold responded. "But it doesn't matter. It's too late, and it looks like your little boy friend is dying. What a fitting end to his life's pursuits."

Bartholomew shook Volsung, "Snap out of it!"

Volsung regained his composure and stared. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" He yelled, and slapped Bartholomew's hand away. He ran up the stairs and out of the room into the hallway.

"VOLSUNG!!"

Leopold laughed evilly, amused by what he saw on the screen.

"You horrible bastard! What did you do!?"

"I sensed confusion in his mind. He wanted to know why we were after him, so I gave him the reason why. In doing so, I may have… reminded him of what he saw on the train." Leopold said, with a sickening smile.

"…you'll pay…" Bartholomew said, in a low growl. "You'll pay dearly."

"I look forward to seeing your resolve. Farewell." Leopold said, and the screen went blank.

Bartholomew punched his fist into the floor. Then, he ran out of the room after Volsung

.

Outside the main control room, he looked around for Volsung, who was nowhere to be found. He ran down the hall and into the T-shaped below it, looking to his left and right. There was a door to the right, and another to the left.

"Damn! Where did he go?"

The door to the right opened and Fereydoon walked out of it.

Bartholomew glanced at him and said, "Fereydoon! Have you seen Volsung?"

Fereydoon replied, "No. I have not. What has happened to Lord Volsung?"

Bartholomew explained to Fereydoon what had happened to Volsung and everything that occurred on the train. Fereydoon listened the entire time, his expression grim. "I see…" he nodded, understandably. "Very well, if Lord Volsung has run off, he has most likely gone somewhere where he can be alone."

"Ah. Perhaps he went back to the infirmary then?" Bartholomew asked, rhetorically.

"I will check the armory; you check the infirmary. If we do not find him, we will meet back here." Fereydoon decided.

"All right," Bartholomew agreed, with a nod.

Fereydoon turned around and walked to the right again, turning to the left at the end of the path.

Bartholomew walked to the left, and entered the infirmary. "Volsung?" he called, questioningly. He glanced to the right of the room, where Volsung was sitting in a corner, crying and shivering.

Bartholomew walked over to Volsung and sat next to him. "There you are. I was worried about you, you know."

Volsung sniffled, but didn't look up from the floor.

"What did Leopold do to you? Did he say something?"

Volsung sniffled and shook his head. "The voice in my head and the villagers were right… it's all my fault those people died. If the-"he sniffled once more, a tear falling to the metal floor, "-if they hadn't been on the same train as me… they would have survived. I should not have resisted capture…"

"What are you talking about? If Vinchezna had caught you, he would've killed you on the spot! Don't you get it yet? Vinchezna is a warrior. He left you alive because you were a threat to him. He enjoys challenges."

"That doesn't change the fact that those people are dead!" Volsung reasoned.

"That's not your fault, Volsung. That's Vinchezna's fault. He killed those people, not you. And he only killed them _because_ he knew you would feel responsible."

"But that-"Volsung sniffled, "-that doesn't make any sense…"

"It does to the sick bastard that formulated the plan. Vinchezna thinks he owns you now.

He believes the horror that he instilled within you will only build, in anticipation of our next meeting with him, where you will be too scared to move. He'll strike you down easily as a result of all the horror you remember in reference to him."

"And he will… I'm too weak…" Volsung said, quietly.

Bartholomew placed his right hand on Volsung's left shoulder. "No, Volsung. You aren't weak by any means. You believe the path between the human and Veruni can be bridged and traversed by peaceful means. That isn't a weak dream that is a very strong and admirable dream. Not many can even hope to match up to your bravery for making that your life goal."

Volsung looked up now and stared at Bartholomew with more tears in his eyes. He took the wrist of his shirt and wiped them away, smiling. "Thank you, Bartholomew…"

"You have the strength to break through the chains that Vinchezna wrapped around you.

Never forget that you can do anything, as long as you don't give up." Bartholomew said.

Volsung nodded, and then hugged Bartholomew. "Ah… my wound…"

"That's right. Your shoulder wound hasn't fully healed yet… you should take it easy." Bartholomew suggested.

Volsung nodded. "By the way… what were you going to show me?"

"Oh," Bartholomew said, "ah, never mind that for now. I'm just glad you're all right. I will help you break free of those chains, Volsung."

"All right," Volsung nodded. He didn't let Bartholomew know, but he was still curious about what he wanted to show him.

The infirmary door opened, and Fereydoon walked in. "Lord Volsung…"

"Fereydoon…." Volsung said.

The two stared at each other for an extended amount of time without saying anything.

Finally, Bartholomew spoke. "Fereydoon, could you come with me to the armory? There's something I want to give you."

Fereydoon nodded, "All right. I will go."

"Wait here Volsung." Bartholomew said, and walked with Fereydoon out of the room.

Volsung sighed and lay down on the bed he woke up in. He was looking up at the ceiling, which was blue and metallic, much like the floor. Everything was blue and metallic in the Mayflower. It seemed like a common theme.

Silently, Volsung thought about what Bartholomew said about his dream. Was that really true? He still felt doubt in his heart if he was doing the right thing.

If Vinchezna was right, what Volsung was doing was evil.

But if Bartholomew was right, Vinchezna was evil.

Who was on what side, and why?

Volsung remembered the unknown person who had helped him before. Where were they at? Bartholomew said they had no identification, so he didn't know who they were.

He jumped out of bed, his shoulder aching with throbbing pain, and walked out of the infirmary.

"If I were that person, wouldn't I be in the infirmary? But… they aren't there, so…where could they be?"

He looked around for a clue, as to where the person who had saved him from imminent death was, but yielded no results.

A crew mate passed him in the hallway.

"Excuse me," Volsung said.

"Yes?" the crew mate asked, respectfully.

"Could you tell me where the fourth person is?"

"Fourth person?"

"The fourth person that arrived with us," Volsung said.

"Oh, you mean the mystery person? They are in the infirmary, the back room." The crew mate responded, respectfully.

"Thank you," Volsung said, with a bow.

The crew mate saluted him and walked down the hallway.

Volsung turned around and walked back into the infirmary, looking for the door leading into the back room. He found it, and walked over to it, pushing it open. Volsung walked inside.

The unknown person was in the room lying in the bed. They stared at Volsung.

"Hi…" Volsung said, "I hope you don't mind my coming in…"

The unknown person stared and responded, "I don't mind."

Volsung sat down in a chair across from their bed. "Who are you?"

"My name has no relevance. Isn't it just enough that I saved you from imminent death?" asked the unknown person.

"I am Volsung." Volsung said, hoping that telling them his name would make them tell him their name.

"…if you desire my name, my name is Cyrilla. Cyrilla Ahmveitzen." Cyrilla said, taking off the hat on her head.

"Y… you're a girl!" Volsung said, surprised.

"… You thought I was a man?" Cyrilla asked.

"No…! But…"

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing…"

"…"

"Ahmveitzen… I can't help but think I've heard that last name before… but where?"

"It's not a common last name, and I'm the only one alive with it." Cyrilla responded.

"…oh…" Volsung said.

"…my parents were killed a long time ago by an unknown assailant. My brother died a few years later for screwing with forbidden sciences." Cyrilla explained. "So I'm all alone. Where am I?"

"The Mayflower." Volsung responded.

"I see… hmm." Cyrilla said, thinking.

"Why don't you have any identification, Cyrilla?" asked Volsung.

"I don't have any identification because I don't really need it. The Ahmveitzen family was always a top Veruni family name." Cyrilla responded.

"Oh I see…" Volsung said.

"Where are your parents?"

"They died a long time ago, too…"

"I'm sorry…" Cyrilla said, silently.

"It's all right. Why were you on the train, Cyrilla?"

Cyrilla stared. "I was… trying to go to Harmonde. I have a friend who is a doctor helping a little boy there. What about you? Why were you there, Volsung? Surely that spear-wielding maniac was after you."

"We were trying to go to Mirapulse…" Volsung responded.

"Mirapulse, you say? Why? Do you come from there?" Cyrilla asked.

"No. I come from Twelbit. We were going to Mirapulse to look for information and a place to live." Volsung replied.

Cyrilla blinked. "You're from Twelbit? What a coincidence! I'm from Twelbit, too!"

Volsung blinked. He could not find a response. Could it be that Cyrilla was one of his tormentors? Or was it just a wild coincidence?


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Fourteen**

Volsung and Cyrilla talked for a while, until Bartholomew walked in to interrupt it.

"Oh, hello, Bartholomew," Volsung said.

Bartholomew nodded, "Hello, Volsung. I see you found our unknown person.

Cyrilla nodded. "He found me."

"Her name is Cyrilla." Volsung replied.

"Cyrilla…?" Bartholomew asked, "The unknown person is a girl?!"

"…" Cyrilla did not respond. She only offered him an icy glare.

"So…" Volsung asked, "What will you do now, Bartholomew?"

"Well… we need to find Weitzheim before the Ultimaga Decimator is fired. The Mayflower will search by sky and alert us if they find anything. Meanwhile, I will be searching by land."

"Weitz…heim?" asked Cyrilla, quietly.

Bartholomew turned to face her, "Yes. Is there something wrong?"

"No." Cyrilla replied.

"All right…" Bartholomew said. "I'll be leaving right away, Volsung. I suppose this is the last time we'll see each other."

Volsung shook his head, "No. I want to go with you to find Weitzheim. I need to know why those people are after me."

Bartholomew refused, "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous."

"They are already looking for me, though. If you leave me alone, it will be that much more dangerous for me than staying by your side." Volsung reasoned.

"But… what about your goal?"

"This is apart of accomplishing my goal. As you said before, as long as people like Vinchezna and Leopold exist, the bridge between the races can never be established." Volsung replied, intuitively.

"…" Cyrilla sat listening, silent.

"…I guess you've got a point there." Bartholomew replied. "…all right. I'll take you along, Volsung. Besides," he smiled, "Fereydoon already said he was coming."

Volsung stared for a few seconds, and smiled.

"…" Cyrilla continued to sit silently.

"What is our first move?" Volsung asked.

"We will go to where Leopold was. The crew already has the coordinates pinpointed; it's a small peninsula in northeast Filgaia, which lies beyond a cave of ice. There may be clues there." Bartholomew explained.

"I see. All right." Volsung nodded.

"Seeing as how there's no point in setting out with your shoulder the way it is, we'll rest tonight. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Bartholomew replied.

Volsung nodded, and Bartholomew left the room.

"Goodbye Cyrilla." Volsung said, with a bow.

"…" Cyrilla was silent.

Volsung walked out of the room, following Bartholomew.

-

Leopold stood silently, positioned on the summit of a mountain in southeast Filgaia, nearby the mining tunnel Mount Chug-Chug. He faced the sky, holding his red book. The snow fell on his robe relentlessly, as he smirked.

"Sir Leopold," a voice said behind him.

Leopold turned to face them, "Yes?"

The figure stared into Leopold's blank, dark eyes and gulped. "We… we have confirmed that Bartholomew and the moderates are searching for Weitzheim."

"Is that so…" Leopold said, with a grin.

"Shall we alert General Vinchezna?" asked the figure.

"No," Leopold shook his head.

"But… if they attack Weitzheim, General Vinchezna will-"

"It is a necessary loss, for he has been working behind my back at something. I _must_ see to it that it is unfulfilled, whatever it may be. I do not take gambles, soldier."

"I see… we have also determined that Weitzheim has launched its 'Island Security' program."

"As I assumed it would. I'd like to see the moderates go there now." Leopold said, with a smile.

"What is your plan, sir? If the moderates take Weitzheim, the Ultimaga Decimator hidden within will be under their control as well." Replied the soldier.

"That is exactly what I want them to do. I want them to breach Weitzheim and plunge it into chaos. While the personnel are too busy fending off an attack, I will take the Ultimaga Decimator." Leopold replied.

"The Ultimaga Decimator is under top surveillance," replied another figure, walking up to Leopold. This one Leopold recognized as Leona.

"I would have expected no less from Vinchezna."

"It is not Vinchezna that put it on top surveillance, Sir Leopold." Leona replied.

Leopold raised his left eyebrow, "Then who was it?"

"You should know, Sir Leopold. Wasn't it you that said you had complete control over Weitzheim?" asked Leona.

"Yes, but my love…" Leopold began, "I cannot control the free will of its personnel."

"Unfortunately we don't know who it was that ordered the top surveillance order, sir." Replied Leona.

"I see. Very well, then. We keep to our original plan. Order the soldiers and scouts we positioned to withdraw." Leopold replied.

"Where to, sir?"

Leopold smirked. "The 'Compass', of course."

"Yes sir." Leona confirmed, and walked away.

"Weitzheim will soon become a battle zone…" Leopold said, with a sinister grin. "And maybe, Vinchezna will die with it."

He laughed and walked off, clutching his red book.

-

Bartholomew was in his room, reading the same book he had been reading when he was on the train earlier in the morning. He glanced up at a clock and noticed it was 11:00 at night. He sighed, and continued reading. Somehow, he doubted that he would find Weitzheim in time to counter Leopold's firing threat.

A knock interrupted his quiet reading. He stood up and answered the door, "Yes?"

"I…can't sleep." Volsung said, quietly.

"Oh…"

"Can…I come in?"

"Sure." Bartholomew replied, and stepped aside so that Volsung could walk in.

Volsung walked in the room and sat down on the floor. Bartholomew closed the door and walked back over to the bed and sat down.

"So…" Bartholomew began, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know…"

"Well, why can't you sleep?" Bartholomew asked.

"Because… I keep having the same dream…" Volsung replied.

"You mean the one where you are in Twelbit and you see yourself?" asked Bartholomew.

Volsung nodded. "Bartholomew is… equality bad?"

"Well," Bartholomew began after closing his book, "it all depends on the people you unify. Some of them will be fine with it and go about their lives, and others… well, having being used to being superior, they'll begin to form separatist movements to stop the equality and restore the nobility system."

"We're… doing the right thing, aren't we?"

"Yes. " Bartholomew replied.

"But…what about the Veruni?"

"That's our second goal. After we unify the races, we'll concentrate all of our power into saving the Veruni. After everyone is equal, even Leopold's thick head will understand that we aren't bad people." Bartholomew explained.

"Oh… I see."

"Is that better?"

"Yes, Bartholomew. Thank you for explaining."

"No problem." Replied Bartholomew, with a grin.

The two sat silently, the clock ticking in the background. Volsung tried to think of things to say to Bartholomew.

Bartholomew spoke, "By the way, Volsung. How is Lady Diana?"

Volsung looked up from the floor and smiled, "She's fine. She's a very kind woman, you know. After the villagers broke into Rygs Mansion, she tried her hardest to protect us with her guards. But…. They weren't on her side…"

"What do you mean?"

"I was kidnapped and forced onto a stake. Fereydoon chased after me, but at that time,

Lady Diana was already knocked out. Her guards had betrayed her-they were part of the assault all along…" Volsung said.

As Volsung spoke, Bartholomew detected a tone of sadness in his voice. "Oh…I'm glad she's okay though. I haven't seen her since she left the Locus Solus." He sighed.

Volsung giggled, "You liked her, didn't you?!"

Bartholomew looked at him, his face red as a ripe tomato, "N-no! Don't be ridiculous! Hahahaha!" he laughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"You're lying! It's written all over your face!"

"No it's not! You be quiet!" Bartholomew yelled, embarrassed. He picked up his pillow and threw it at Volsung.

Volsung laughed, "You liked Fereydoon's grandma! You liked Fereydoon's grandma!" he chanted playfully, throwing the pillow back at Bartholomew.

"Bah!" Bartholomew replied, his face getting redder by the second.

The two of them played like this for a while, until Volsung got tired and drifted off to sleep. Quickly, after resituating his bed, Bartholomew followed suite.

Volsung found himself back inside his mind, but the dream was different. He knew, however, that he was back in Twelbit. Nobody was around, not even the inner him.

"Hello?" he called, echoing through the town.

Nobody returned a response. Slowly, he walked through the town looking at his surroundings. The town seemed almost deserted. The buildings were missing bricks and the windows were smashed. He continued walking through the northeast gate, until he reached the Rygs Mansion. He stared at it in complete horror. It was in ruins. The gate was smashed open, the door was completely destroyed, and the windows were busted, much like the other buildings.

"W… what happened here?"

"I'll show you." A voice behind him said.

He whirled around to see the 'other' him. "You again…"

"Come. Take my hand. I'll show you what happened here." The 'other' Volsung said.

Volsung didn't want to, but something inside of him told him to seek the truth. He walked over to the 'other' Volsung, and took his hand. Almost instantaneously, he saw himself back in Twelbit. The people were running around frantically, each with a horrified expression on their face.

"Wh… what is this!?" Volsung commanded.

"This… is what is going to happen very soon. Watch. You will see." The 'other' him said, standing silently with a smirk.

Like clockwork, the people quit moving. They stared horrified at the sky, which was blood red. Volsung saw a gigantic white light shoot up into the sky, which flew straight at Twelbit.

"NO!!!" he yelled, running towards it, but it was too late. The white light smacked into the plaza of Twelbit, creating a giant dome of destruction. The buildings were completely blown away, and the plaza was on fire. The people screamed in agony, until most of them disappeared altogether, disintegrated. Volsung backed away from the dome, horrified.

"H…how? What can cause this!?"

The 'other' him turned to Volsung and laughed, "You idiot. Don't you understand? This is the power of the Ultimaga Decimator…"

"I … I don't…. understand! What is the Ultimaga Decimator? Why is it capable of this!?"

The 'other' Volsung grinned, "That's for you to find out…"

"WAIT!!" he yelled, and the 'other' him vanished.

Volsung was alone now, watching the destruction of Twelbit with a horrified expression. He fell to his knees again, "Make it stop…. Make it stop!!"

The flames continued to spread until the gates began to crash through the ground, brick by brick.

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYMORE!!"

-

Volsung jerked himself up, breathing hesitantly while looking around the room. He remembered he was in Bartholomew's room, and Bartholomew was nowhere to be found. He saw the clock out of his peripheral vision, and read that it was 10:00 in the morning.

"Th…" he breathed hesitantly, "that was… no… it can't be…" he refused to believe that it was the future he saw. "The others must be in the bridge by now… I should hurry."

He got up and opened the door. Quietly, he walked out of the room.

"What's taking him?" Bartholomew wondered, tapping his foot.

"I'm not sure." Fereydoon replied.

Just then, the door opened, and Volsung walked in.

"All right. Are we prepared to go?" Bartholomew asked.

Volsung concentrated on Fereydoon. There was something different about him. Was it his look? He looked the same, except for…

"Fereydoon," Volsung asked. "Is that a sword…?"

Fereydoon nodded, "Yes, Lord Volsung. I'm going to use it to protect you from now on."

"…I see." Volsung said.

"There is a chance we will run into Vinchezna."

"Is Vinchezna one of the radicals?"

"Who knows," Bartholomew said, "but I have a feeling he'll be there. In any case, I gave Fereydoon a sword in case Vinchezna attacks."

"I see." Volsung nodded.

"Fereydoon, proceed to the teleportation chamber. I need to speak to Volsung alone."

Fereydoon hesitated for a second, but nodded and left the room.

Bartholomew walked over to Volsung, "Are you okay…?"

"You mean…. am I okay with the possibility of seeing Vinchezna again…?"

Bartholomew nodded.

Volsung sighed. "To be honest… I'm terrified. I'm afraid that if I see him again, I'll lose control of myself… but as long as you're there, Bartholomew, I … I'm sure I'll be fine."

Bartholomew stared and smiled, "I'm glad."

"…Bartholomew, I'm glad that I met you. And… I'm glad I can call you my friend." Volsung said.

Bartholomew smiled. "I'm glad I can call you my friend, too…"

Volsung nodded. "Let's go." He said.

Bartholomew nodded as well, and he left the room.

Volsung wanted to, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Bartholomew about his dream. He sighed sadly, and followed Bartholomew out of the room.

Volsung and Bartholomew walked into the teleportation chamber, and stood next to Fereydoon on a large blue circle in the center of the room.

"All right! Take us down to the snowy peninsula!"

"Aye-aye captain!" A crew mate replied.

"Unlocking primary transportation sequence! Transportation sequence unlocked!"

"Pinpointing coordinates!"

"Coordinates pinpointed!"

"Performing safety sweep!"

"Safety sweep confirmed! Commence the teleportation!" the first crew mate said, and slammed a large red button on a control console.

The blue circle began to glow and white lines began to run from it up to the ceiling of the room. A blue ball of light appeared and forced itself down through the blue circle, firing from the Mayflower to the snowy peninsula to the northeast.

"Be safe, Captain Bartholomew, sir!"

"All right!" the fourth crew mate announced. "Let's continue our search for Weitzheim! Leave no stone unturned! Let's go! For the future of ourselves and the world, we _will_ stop Leopold's evil plan!"

"YES!" the remaining crew mates responded, and they proceeded to the bridge.

From the glowing blue ball quickly flying from the Mayflower to the snowy peninsula, the three of them saw the Mayflower slowly turn direction and speed off quickly.

"We will find Weitzheim!" yelled Bartholomew.

The glowing blue ball crashed violently into the snowy peninsula, sending the three of them flying across the snow.

Volsung landed; face first, into a small pile of snow. He began to shiver. "It's…s-s-so… c-cold…." He said.

Fereydoon stood up, and rubbed his head. He coughed, "What a b-bumpy landing…"

The wind howled, as the snow fell silently.

Bartholomew climbed out of a small hole that he had made with his person, and coughed. "Are you guys okay?"

Fereydoon nodded.

Volsung nodded, while his body continued to shiver. He'd never felt the snow before. It was cold, and wet. But, at the same time it was quiet and most of all, it was peaceful. The sky seemed more peaceful than it was in Honeysday. It almost seemed like they were not in Filgaia anymore.

Not in Filgaia? That was crazy. Of course they were in Filgaia.

The icy ocean held off only by the small embankment of land lapped against the snowy peninsula, the drops freezing on as they hit the ground.

"This isn't anything like I expected it to be…" Fereydoon said, amazed as he looked around at his surroundings. "I expected it to be more like…"

"…a frozen wasteland?" asked Bartholomew, walking next to Fereydoon, helping Volsung up.

"Yes… but it's almost like the land is still alive here."

"This is the only place in northeast Filgaia that _is_ still alive. In case you haven't noticed, we're fairly close to Laila Belle." Bartholomew explained.

Volsung's eyes lit up. "W… we are?"

"Yep. Over those mountains," Bartholomew began, pointing to the south, "is the Provectas station."

"Why would Leopold come to such a place?" asked Fereydoon.

"Who knows," Bartholomew shrugged. "All we know is that the transmission was made from here."

Something in the snow caught Volsung's eye as Bartholomew spoke. "Hey…" he said, "there's something here."

Bartholomew took notice of him, and stared into the snow where Volsung pointed. There was a silver glint in the snow, barely visible.

"Is it… an enemy?"

"No… I don't think it's alive," Bartholomew replied, digging up the snow. He picked up a large, metal bound book.

Fereydoon and Volsung slowly walked towards him, "What is it?" they asked.

"It's a book…" Bartholomew replied, flipping through it.

"What does it say?"

"'We have confirmed the success of the "nuke" project, and the replication of the Lost Technology weapon 'Longhorn Nova'," Bartholomew began.

"It's… a report?" asked Volsung.

"Yes…" Bartholomew responded. He flipped through the book and stared at a page, "…it's from Weitzheim, apparently."

"This is strange. Why would a document from Weitzheim be here?" asked Fereydoon.

"I don't…know." Bartholomew replied, closing the metal bound book. "There's something odd about this, though… how did Leopold get here? And where did he go? Why would a document from Weitzheim be here?"

"….hmm…"

Fereydoon and Volsung thought for a few seconds, until Volsung began to pace back and forth across the snow, where the metal book had once laid. As Volsung walked across the snow, he noticed his footsteps sounded like he was stepping on a metal floor.

"What is that sound?" Fereydoon asked.

Bartholomew stared, "Hey Volsung… are you wearing boots?"

"No," Volsung replied, shaking his head.

Bartholomew walked over to the small spot of snow Volsung was standing on, and stomped his foot.

A loud clanging sound rang out.

"What in the world?" he asked, and kneeled down, using his hand to wipe away the snow. Underneath it was a metal floor.

Fereydoon gasped, "A secret tunnel?!"

Bartholomew nodded. "It would appear that way."

"But how do we get inside?" Volsung asked.

Bartholomew knocked on the steel floor with his fist, "Nope. We aren't going to bust our way through this…" he said, looking around and then, he had an idea. "I know what we can do! This tunnel must have a beginning, and I'm betting it is under the snow, as well! Let's uncover as much of the snow as we can, until we find it!"

Volsung and Fereydoon nodded in agreement. The two of them began frantically uncovering the snow, discovering more steel, until a large portion of the snowy peninsula was uncovered. At the very south end of the peninsula, near the exit of the icy cave, Volsung discovered a door bolted into the steel flooring. "I found something!" he yelled.

Bartholomew and Fereydoon stared at him, and walked over to the south end of the peninsula. Volsung pulled open the steel doors bolted into the flooring, and they opened into a dark path, with stairs leading down from the peninsula.

"So… this is why we couldn't find Sihramneux!" Bartholomew deduced. "It must be inaccessible by all ways except by this path!"

"Indeed!" Fereydoon nodded.

Volsung suddenly became uncertain. He had a very bad feeling about this path, as if something dark and sinister was waiting at the end of it. What was it? Was it Vinchezna? Could Vinchezna have made him emit this strange, ominous feeling?

"This path surely leads to Weitzheim. We must be cautious. We have no idea who is waiting at the end of it." Bartholomew advised.

"…" Volsung did not respond.

Fereydoon nodded.

The three of them walked into the small doorway, and down the stairs, descending into the darkness of the cave.

As they did, a red light blinked in the snow, adjacent to the door.

-

Weston stood on his platform in Weitzheim, adjusting his glasses.

The door at the south end opened, and William walked across the bridge. "We're being invaded!" he announced.

Weston stared, "What!? Who would dare invade Weitzheim? How did they find Sihramneux Island!?"

"Someone must've leaked our location!"

"Vinchezna!" Weston accused, with a snarl. "No matter. It must be the radicals. They must be after the 'Ultimaga Decimator.'"

"What will we do?"

"Nothing. I have ensured they will not reach the Decimator. We shall wait for them to come to us, and then we shall kill them." Weston replied.

"Very well." William said, with a nod.

"But just in case… I'm releasing the golems from the 'compatibility' project." Weston replied, with a sinister laugh.

William's eyes grew wide. "T…the 'compatibility' project…!"

"Worry not, my friend, for you will see the extent I am to go to protect you, and my dear Tnaeira."

"…"

"Now… let the gates of Hell open, and devour the intruders! GO, MY GOLEMS!! DESTROY THEM!!" Weston yelled and violently smashed a button on the control console next to him.

A screen came on in the center of the room, and all around Weitzheim, gates began to open, with golems flooding out of them. They were strange golems, resembling humans somewhat, but with mechanical features in abundance.

William stared in amazement and fell to his knees, "All of those golems… they were…!"

"Is that really important at this point? All that matters is that they will be used to our defense."

William stood up and walked over to Weston, grabbing him by his collar, "They were human, you bastard!"

"And Veruni," Weston reminded.

"H… how could you do this, Weston!? I thought we were friends!!"

"We are. But it is as I stated before, I will go to any extent to protect Tnaeira." Weston responded.

"You're no better than Vinchezna!!"

"How could you say that? I did this out of my love for Tnaeira and my friendship for you! You will be protected from death! How can you refuse in such a way!?"

William punched Weston to the ground, "Shut up! That's not important at all! There are other ways to protect them! You said the 'compatibility' project was discontinued because it was a failure!"

"I'm sorry I had to lie to keep the defense of this laboratory a secret…"

William tightened his fist and growled, "…I can't believe this…"

"If it is any consolation, the majority of them were Illsveil prisoners." Weston reassured, standing up, dusting himself off.

"…" William walked out of the room by the bridge access, without a response.

"This is my last defense, Tnaeira. I hope it pleases you…" Weston said, and walked out of the room from the back exit.

-

Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew proceeded through the steel tunnel cautiously. It was silent, a deathly silence.

"I hear something…" Bartholomew said, listening intently down the hall.

"What is it?" Volsung asked, stopping.

Fereydoon stopped as well, "I hear it… too."

"It sounds like a clanging noise… metal against metal… boots, perhaps?" asked Volsung.

"No… that's no boot…"

Volsung stared.

"That's…."

The clanging noise intensified.

"…that's the noise of a golem." He said, cracking his fist and staring into the darkness of the passage.

"G… golem?"

"What in the world!? They have the means to create golems!?" Fereydoon yelled, incredulously.

"Leave this to me! You two, stay here!" Bartholomew yelled, and charged forward.

"No! Come back!!" Volsung yelled, and attempted to chase after him.

"Lord Volsung!" Fereydoon said, grabbing his hand before he could run into the darkness, "I cannot permit you to do that! It is my duty to protect you!"

"But..!"

"We must trust in Bartholomew, as our companion. He will be fine! You shall see!"

Fereydoon said, nodding.

Bartholomew ran down the steel tunnel, facing the hundreds, no, thousands of golems that were standing in between him and Weitzheim.

"Who commanded you to protect this tunnel? Who is beyond this point?!"

The golems did not respond.

"ANSWER ME!!!" He yelled, and smashed his fist through one.

The three next to the one he had injured took up arms and tightened their mechanical fists to engage in battle.

Bartholomew kicked one, which flew across the steel flooring into the ones behind it, causing a massive explosion that sent most of them flying across the tunnel.

Bartholomew jumped over the flying golems and grabbed two, spinning them around like a top, while running through the middle path between them. The two spinning golems crashed into the other golems, which crashed into the others and so on until they were finally destroyed. When he reached the last line of golems, he took the two spinning golems and smashed them together, kicking them, like a bat to a baseball.

The two golems flew into the last line and caused them to explode as well, creating a gigantic crack in the middle of the tunnel. The ground began to decline and rocks flew as a loud smashing sound was heard. The line went all the way from the tunnel and circled the outer parts of Sihramneux Island, which Bartholomew now saw. It was a very small island, which was directly behind the icy peninsula. The tunnel had run under the sea.

Weitzheim was now in sight. It was a gigantic sphere shaped building that resembled a dome. All around it were open gates, and in the very center, directly across from the exit of the steel tunnel, was the entrance.

"At last…" Bartholomew said, grinning. "At last I've found you, Sihramneux."

He turned around and called into the tunnel, "FEREYDOON!! VOLSUNG!! COME ON!! WEITZHEIM IS HERE! WE'VE FOUND IT!"

"Was that Bartholomew!?"

Volsung stared into the darkness, "He did it! He defeated the golems and found Weitzheim!"

"Let's go!" Fereydoon said. "There's no time to waste!"

Volsung nodded, and the two ran onward into the dark tunnel, and towards Weitzheim.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Fifteen**

Volsung, Bartholomew and Fereydoon stared in awe at Weitzheim, the large, spherical laboratory. It was made of solid white metal, with gates all around the bottom, each of them open.

"How could they have kept something like this concealed!?" Volsung asked, in awe.

"I do not know…" Bartholomew replied. "It's certainly big enough…"

"Hiding something so big…." Fereydoon said, also in awe. "Who exactly are these people...?"

"There's no time for questions! We have to get inside!" Bartholomew yelled, running forward.

Volsung and Fereydoon nodded, and ran forward as well.

Bartholomew walked towards the gigantic gate which was the entrance, in the center at the bottom of the sphere.

"Damn! It's sealed shut!" he yelled, punching it, angrily.

"No! We've already come this far!"

"We have to get inside!" Volsung yelled.

No matter what the trio did, the large gate leading into Weitzheim would not respond. It stayed shut indefinitely, letting nobody in.

Bartholomew attempted kicking the door in, but that failed as well.

"It won't open that way, you idiots." A voice yelled, atop the dome.

Volsung, Fereydoon and Bartholomew looked in the direction the voice came from, and saw it was Vinchezna.

Vinchezna jumped down from the top of the large dome, and landed behind them, making an impact in the ground the size of a small crater. He stood upright, crossed his arms, and gave them his blood lusting smile. "You fools…" he said, staring at them, his eyes red as blood, "…you should never have come to Weitzheim."

Fereydoon pulled out his sword, "You…"

Vinchezna laughed, "Don't be serious. Do you think you can kill me, little boy?"

He turned to Volsung, "He tried, and failed. Isn't that right, brat?"

Volsung's feet were glued to the ground. He wanted to say something, but could not. All thoughts in his mind had ceased. He was absolutely paralyzed.

Vinchezna dashed forward and grabbed Volsung, running to the gate.

"STOP!!!" Fereydoon yelled, preparing his sword.

"Vinchezna! Stop this immediately!" Bartholomew yelled, cracking his fist.

Vinchezna pushed a button on a device in his pocket, and the large gate leading into Weitzheim opened, snow pouring off the top of it as it did. "_Our _final battle will have to wait until you get inside… meanwhile, I'll have…fun, with this boy." He said, with a wicked laugh.

Volsung could not say anything. His body trembled in fear at the thought of defying Vinchezna.

"NO! YOU BASTARD!" Bartholomew yelled, running at Vinchezna, but it was too late.

Vinchezna dashed inside the dark laboratory, and was no longer able to be seen.

Fereydoon ran over to Bartholomew, "Let's go! We have to find him!"

Bartholomew nodded, and the two ran inside, the large snow-encrusted gate closing behind them.

Bartholomew and Fereydoon looked around the room they were in. It was a lobby it seemed, though it looked nothing like a laboratory. A red rug ran from the gate through the center of the lobby room up the long staircase towards the north wall. The floor was made of black marble, and the ceiling was as well. The wall was transparent red glass, with a strange purple liquid inside. Pillars lined the middle path of the room, adjacent to the rug. There were two doors, one to the left, and one to the right. A large black marble slab was in the center of the room. The room itself was lit dimly by candles.

"This isn't a laboratory! It's a castle!" Fereydoon objected.

"I agree! This… this isn't anything like I expected!" replied Bartholomew.

The two of them walked to the middle black marble slab, and read it. "It reads 'To open the staircase doorway, you must deactivate the two doorway generators on the right and left sides.'" Fereydoon announced.

"Damn! We have to split up? How will we find Volsung then!?"

"We'll shut down the generators and then find him!" Fereydoon said.

Bartholomew nodded, "I'll take the left door."

"Then I will take the right." Fereydoon replied.

Bartholomew walked over to the left door and opened it, walking inside, it closing behind him. Fereydoon did the same to the right.

The trio was now split up.

-

Vinchezna threw Volsung at a wall and smiled at him, his eyes still red as blood.

Volsung could not speak; it was as if his vocal chords had been removed. His body continued trembling at the sight of Vinchezna.

"Speak, you worm!" Vinchezna ordered.

Volsung stared at him, offering no words.

Vinchezna flashed him a smile, "That's all right. This will go better if you don't speak. I'll know when not to stop!!"

Volsung stared at him, horrified. What did he mean by that? Where was he?

Vinchezna walked over to the center of the room, and lit something, which turned out to be a large candle. Volsung now saw the room and stared, his horror mounting. The room was like the entrance of the laboratory, with the black marble and red transparent walls. There was a large vent in the room, next to a table with chains and a whip with thorns was above it. There were chains on the wall, completely encrusted with blood. There was also a stockade and a crucifix to the west wall, chains dangling from it. It was a torture chamber.

Vinchezna walked over to Volsung and picked him up by his collar. He gave him a sickening smile, "Usually, this room is designed to interrogate human spies. But, I'm going to use it to torture you in ways you won't be able to imagine. If you weren't scared of me before, you certainly will be now." He said, and walked over to the wall and began placing manacles around his wrists and ankles. "Oh," Vinchezna said, continuing his tirade, "Try not to faint." He materialized his spear, which too was encrusted with blood.

Volsung stared at it, and the images of the train came back to him. The fountain of bloodshed…

It was too much for him to bear.

Vinchezna spun his spear around and sliced Volsung across the chest scraps of his clothes falling to the floor. He did it again, and slashed his chest once more. This time, blood spilt onto the floor.

He walked over to the center brazier and turned his spear around, to the round wooden bottom. He slowly stuck it into the brazier until the bottom began to burn, then he walked back over to Volsung and grinned at him. He forced the burning side of the stick into Volsung's wound, a large burn appearing.

Volsung screamed out in antagonizing pain. "STOP!!!!" he yelled, "QUIT!!!" tears poured down his face.

"Oh? Does that hurt, boy?"

"My… my heart is on fire!! STOP!!!"

Vinchezna pushed the stick in more, "That's how you know its working!" he yelled, laughing. He drew the stick across Volsung's face. The skin quickly charred and blood poured down, until there was a small blood puddle under Volsung's dangling feet.

"Do you like that boy? Does it feel good?" Vinchezna asked.

Volsung was in so much pain he couldn't respond. His wound was on fire, and his heart was quickly pulsing. As Vinchezna continued to grind his fiery stick into Volsung's flesh, he flashed back to what Bartholomew had said.

"_Vinchezna thinks he owns you now. He believes the horror that he instilled within you will only build, in anticipation of our next meeting with him, where you will be too scared to move. He'll strike you down easily as a result of all the horror you remember in reference to him…."_

"_No, Volsung. You aren't weak by any means. You believe the path between the human and Veruni can be bridged and traversed by peaceful means. That isn't a weak dream that is a very strong and admirable dream. Not many can even hope to match up to your bravery for making that your life goal…"_

"_You have the strength to break through the chains that Vinchezna wrapped around you. Never forget that you can do anything, as long as you don't give up…."_

"…_I will help you break free of those chains, Volsung."_

The memories of the chat they had had on the Mayflower flowed through him, and Volsung began to feel inspired. Slowly, he turned his head up to Vinchezna and felt a surge of bravery in his heart. He glared at him, "N… no matter….what you do…. I'll…" he coughed, slowly, "…never…give in to you…"

Vinchezna glowered, "WHAT did you say!?"

"I'll…never…give….in…to you…" Volsung said, quietly.

Vinchezna glared. "Oh really?" he asked. "You just sealed your fate, boy. Now I'm going to make it worse."

Vinchezna pulled on the top of the chains on his wrist until they tightened, burning into Volsung's wrists. Volsung tried to grit and bear the pain, clenching his teeth as tears poured down his face, mixing in with the blood on his cheek. Vinchezna smiled triumphantly, "How does _that_ feel?"

Volsung tried to glare, but he couldn't. The blood pouring down his wrists was too much; he felt his vision going blurry. _This isn't good…_ he thought to himself. _Am… am I going… to die?_

Vinchezna growled, "I grow bored of this… and…" he smiled sickeningly, showing his teeth, "…I desire…to see more blood…" He dematerialized his spear, and walked slowly over to the wall with the thorn whip on it. He took it and he snapped it threateningly in front of Volsung, pulling it back and cracking it violently on his flesh. As he did, large slashes appeared from the whip. Volsung still tried to grit and bear the pain, but it was too much, and he ended up crying out once more. Vinchezna laughed, the thorns on the whip dripping with blood, making the pool under Volsung's feet into a small river. He drew it back again and cracked it, continuously, until Volsung's chest streamed with blood.

"Well!?" Vinchezna asked, "Where is your 'bravery' now!? Huh? Scream, damn you! I want to see you scream! I'll take the bravery away from you by force and show you how meaningless everything you did is!" he yelled, smacking Volsung across the face, while continuing to crack the whip. He continued this for a while afterwards; until Volsung lost so much blood that his eyes began to close. His thoughts were fuzzy. His legs and hands had lost all circulation. He knew very well then, that he was going to die. The chains tightened around his wrist continued to spew blood everywhere, worsening his fainting condition.

"What's the matter?" Vinchezna asked, continuing to crack the whip, "Don't tell me you're about to faint. The pain is just beginning."

"I'm not afraid of you!!" Volsung heard a voice inside of him yell.

Volsung barely lifted his head, "…l…listen….to…me…

I'm….n…not…..afra…afraid….of….you…." he replied, hesitantly.

Vinchezna glowered at him acrimoniously, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Volsung felt his head droop, "I…I said…I'm…" was all he could get out before he felt his voice leave him. He felt something cold around his neck, something cold and leathery. It was choking the life right out of him, and he couldn't make it stop.

"Listen to me, boy. I hold the cards here. You don't have any say in it. I said you're afraid of me, so you're going to be afraid of me, or I'm going to cut your damn arm off." Vinchezna threatened his voice like a sword into Volsung's heart.

"L… let…" he said in a small raspy voice, "let…me down…"

"….?! How… how can you talk?!" asked Vinchezna.

"_With perseverance…" Volsung remembered Bartholomew saying in Starlit Cave, "…YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!"_

Inspired by these words, Volsung proclaimed, "W… with perseverance…" raising his head, despite Vinchezna's hold on his neck. "…you can do… anything!"

"IDIOT!!" Vinchezna yelled, unchaining Volsung and smacking him across the face. He pushed him across the room towards the brazier, which he caught onto without falling in.

Vinchezna grabbed him by the collar and tossed him across the room, causing him to smack into the crucifix. "Admit it! You're scared! You have to be, there's no way you can just let go of all the people that died on the train! They died because of you, you brat!" he thundered, kicking Volsung against the wall with his knee. "Say it, you brat! Say you're scared!"

"I will… never sub…" Volsung coughed up blood, "…submit…to you…"

Vinchezna glared at him evilly, taking the dagger from the wall and slashing his face, "WHAT ABOUT NOW!?"

Volsung cringed in terror, gripping the wound on his face, still trying to cling to his beliefs. He didn't say a word.

Vinchezna, clearly angered by this, punched him in the face and kicked him to the ground, repeatedly stomping on him while chanting in incoherent profanity, calling Volsung worthless and such. He continued this until Volsung's body was even more beaten, bruised, scratched and damaged than it was before, with Volsung crying rivers of tears.

"Yes... that's fantastic!" Vinchezna said, laughing. He took the dagger he used to slice Volsung's face, which was dripping with blood, and drew his tongue across it, laughing even more maniacally before. He continued to kick him with his boots until Volsung finally spoke.

"You can do...what...ever you..please...but..." he said, through a damaged voice, fraught with fear and horror, "I..will..never...let...you win..."

Vinchezna violently grabbed him by the collar, "Oh?" he asked, slashing Volsung's arm again. "Then you're going to DIE!!!!" and he proceed to slam him down on the table with the chains dangling from it. He chained him up once more and walked over to the very back of the table and began rotating a circular wheel. The chains began to retract and circle the wheel, stretching all parts of Volsung's body to the maximum limit. He locked the wheel, and grabbed a dagger and stabbed Volsung's shoulder again, grinding the dagger into his wound. "INSOLENT BRAT!!! I'LL DRAIN EVERY BIT OF BLOOD FROM YOU!!" he yelled, twisting the wheel harder, and harder. Then, he stabbed the dagger into Volsung's right shoulder, grinding it to the left as well, causing more horrible pain and another river of blood to pour down Volsung's arm. He slashed at his chest and his legs, making them bloody as well, and took a wooden stick (which was on fire) and ground it a bit into his forehead until a large, coin-sized burn mark appeared. All the while, he continued to twist the wheel, stretching every part of Volsung's body until it could be stretched no more. He heard an odd creaking sound from it as he continued to twist it.

Volsung screamed out, horrified. He had reached his max limit now, and he knew he was about to faint. Then, Vinchezna would end his life. There was nothing he could do.

And then, Volsung heard a snapping sound. It was the sound of the wheel breaking, and the chains releasing to the ground.

"WHAT IN THE HELL!?!?' Vinchezna yelled, angrily.

Volsung saw this as his primary opportunity. He took the dagger from his wound, "The… memories of my friends and of Bartholomew…" he began, slowly. "Give me the strength to…strike…you…DOWN!!!" and stabbed it through Vinchezna's left eye.

"G…GAHHHH!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!?!?!?" Vinchezna yelled, stumbling back, blood streaming out of the wound onto the floor.

Volsung tried to smile, "H… how do you …. Like bleeding…?" he said, coughing.

Vinchezna continued to back away, stumbling across the room, "YOU BRAT!! YOU'LL PAY!! YOU'LL-"

And then, he felt himself flip over and fall into the brazier.

"NO!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!! STOP!!!" he yelled, as his body slowly began to catch aflame, the blood mixing with the fire. "YOU WILL PAY!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!! DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARD CHILD!!!!" he yelled, and the screaming stopped.

Volsung slowly walked over and stared into the brazier, his body beaten, bruised and bloody. Vinchezna had escaped. Volsung had survived.

He smiled, satisfied with what had happened, and fell over, unconscious.

He had finally overcome Vinchezna, the sword through his heart.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Sixteen**

Bartholomew walked across the narrow, black marble path. A long red rug led through the hall, and every three marble tiles, there was a torch on the wall directly adjacent to a pillar. The more Bartholomew walked through Weitzheim, the less it seemed like a laboratory and the more it seemed like a castle, or a fortress. He felt something odd about the laboratory, too. Nobody had attacked him so far. Why? Did they not know that they had intruded?

No, that was impossible, because Vinchezna took Volsung. Surely he alerted the others to their presence? But, it seemed almost quiet and, almost deserted as well.

Bartholomew's eye caught the red transparent walls flowing with purple liquid. He walked over to the wall and asked himself, "What is this strange liquid?" he put his hand on the glass wall; it was very thin, and could easily be shattered. However, something disturbed him about it. It was the liquid itself. It was purplish, somewhat like blood, and it flowed all through the laboratory.

Did this laboratory run on the blood of something? Or… was it more Lost Technology? He just couldn't understand the concept of it. And why would they have it in the snow? That, too, made no sense.

Nothing made sense about this assault. Vinchezna appeared and stole Volsung almost like clockwork, allowing them entrance inside. It had to be a trap.

As Bartholomew continued walking down the long, black marble path, he wondered how Volsung was. Could he hold up with Vinchezna? Where was he? So many unanswered questions and so little time for them to be answered.

"That middle door that was up the stairs… it was closed indefinitely. And that slab said to deactivate the two doorway generators. That means the path I'm on must be one of them, and the path Fereydoon is on must be one, as well. Then… there must be some protection to it. A sentinel or more golems perhaps?" Bartholomew asked himself, rhetorically.

He continued walking across the long red carpet, leading very far to the north, until something stopped him. It was a strange sound, like a gun being cocked.

"…hm?" he asked himself, looking around, to no avail. "What was that?" he wondered.

Immediately, a blast of kinetic energy flew at him. He ducked very quickly, avoiding it.

"Who the hell?!"

"You're harder to get rid of than I thought." A voice familiar to him said.

"William…"

William, the man in black, stepped out from behind a pillar directly ahead of Bartholomew with his Longhorn Nova on his shoulder. He glared at him, "It was very unfitting for you to destroy my favorite toy. I can't explain how angry I am."

"I see you fixed it." Bartholomew replied.

William threw his Longhorn Nova in the air and caught it, pointing it at Bartholomew,

"Yep. No thanks to you, of course."

"Regardless. Get out of my way! I have something to do! Vinchezna has taken-"

"What did you say!? Vinchezna is still here!? How is that possible…?" William asked, staring intently at the ground and laughing slowly, "No. You're lying. Vinchezna is the one that brought the three of you here!" he replied, with an angry glare. "When I found out that you three were the radicals… I couldn't believe it."

"Radicals!? What in the world has that smug bastard been feeding you!?"

"Save it! Don't try to lie to me. I know now that you are the radical leader! Those two are your sentinels, and you're trying to shut down Weitzheim to steal the Ultimaga Decimator!"

"What?!" Bartholomew yelled, incredulously. "That's insane! It couldn't be farther from the truth! Who's been feeding you these blasted lies!?"

"I won't hear it anymore!!" William yelled, and ran forward with his Longhorn Nova.

"Argh…!" Bartholomew grunted, and sighed. "It seems you won't listen to me. Very well, then! I'll have to beat the answer into you by force!" he yelled, jumping over

William and counterattacking, kicking him in the spine. William quickly reacted, firing a shot at Bartholomew, who strafed to the left sending the shot to fly at a pillar. The pillar was quickly split in half and fell to the floor with a loud "CRASH!" smashing through the black marble ensemble, making a large hole.

Bartholomew attempted to punch William in the face, but William caught it and sent him flying through the air. Bartholomew quickly reacted and landed on his feet, swiftly dashing at William before he had a chance to react. He sent a powerful punch at his chest, which sent William flying back towards the door that Bartholomew entered from.

"Damn you!" William thundered, and his Longhorn Nova's barrel began to split in half, revealing the saber he so loved to use. He ran quickly at Bartholomew, the saber out, poised for stabbing. "I will force you to cease your pointless assault!"

"For the last time, we're not assaulting you!"

"Silence!" yelled William, sending his saber through Bartholomew, but before he could,

Bartholomew jumped over him and punched him in the back, before picking him up by his arm and tossing him across the room. William flew straight at a pillar. Just as it seemed he would crash into it, he stabbed the blade of Longhorn Nova into it, stopping the imminent impact.

Bartholomew saw this as his time to act. He jumped up into the air, his foot out, and sent it flying into William's arm, which jerked to the left causing the pressure on the blade of Longhorn Nova to snap it in two. Longhorn Nova fell out of the pillar onto the floor, and William grabbed it, the blade receding into the barrel once more. He placed it on his shoulder and smiled, "You're just as good as I remembered, Bartholomew."

"Humph. Compliments, at a time like this? How very uncharacteristic of you." Bartholomew said with a snarl.

"Heh…" William chuckled, raising his Longhorn Nova towards the ceiling, "I suppose so. You're going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"That weak weapon of yours is a "nuke" from the Civilization of Lost Technology?"

"It has yet to reach its full potential. Once I have mastered it and unlocked the cartridges sealed within, it's power will rival that of the Ultimaga Decimator."

"Why create the Ultimaga Decimator?! What purpose do you have in replicating it??"

"That's classified information, and not for your radical ears to hear." William replied, with an evil laugh, "Now die!" he yelled, firing at Bartholomew.

Bartholomew deflected the blast with his arm, sending it to fly in a random direction. He jumped and attacked William, who did a back flip towards the north side of the room and fired a shot as he did. Bartholomew deflected this one as well. In mid-deflection, William grinned. He fired another shot, making Bartholomew deflect it. William used this time to shove the butt of his gun in Bartholomew's stomach, which caused Bartholomew to fall down.

"Damn!" he said.

William jumped up into the air and fired a shot towards Bartholomew, who was laying on the ground with his back to the floor. Quickly, Bartholomew rolled to the side, causing the shot to create a large hole in the black marble flooring.

"Humph." William said, as he fell to the floor on his feet. "Don't get cocky. Look who's still on the floor." He said, with a smile,

Bartholomew laughed, "I'm aware."

William jumped into the air and shot again. Bartholomew used this as the perfect chance. He deflected the shot, which flew at William in the air.

"NO! DAMN YOU!!!" he yelled, and was hit by the shot head-on, sending him to fly and smack into one of the pillars, slumping to the ground pitifully. His Longhorn Nova clanged to the floor. He coughed, holding his chest, which was wounded badly. As he held his chest, he noticed only his hand stood in between the wound and a floodgate of blood.

Bartholomew stood up and walked over to him, picking him up by his collar and slamming him against the pillar, sending blood to trickle down William's leg. "Now listen to me! We aren't the radicals! You've been lied to!"

"That's… impossible…" William coughed, "Weston… would never…"

"We've come here to counteract the threat you all made on the Mayflower!"

"Th… threat…? What…. Are you talking about?"

Bartholomew stared, "You mean…… you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about… do you?"

"Not…" he coughed, "not.. in the… least…" he said, and was silent.

"William! William Smith, damn you! Don't you die on me!" Bartholomew yelled, shaking him violently.

"I'm… glad it was you who killed me, old friend… goodbye…" William said, with his last breath, and his head started to drop lifelessly.

"Damn it!" Bartholomew yelled, slamming his fist into the pillar, letting William's body drop. "How can you not have any idea what I'm talking about!? I killed my old best friend and for what? For nothing! Argh!" he yelled, punching his fist into the wall repeatedly, acrimoniously.

He sighed, after his fist had become a bloody mess. "I… I have to save Volsung." He said, and continued along the path.

After a short while of walking, he stared into a very large glass cylinder, which housed a cylindrical mechanism. Outside the cylinder was a small panel that had a few levers to adjust power. A gigantic wire went from the inside of the cylinder and ran through the wall.

"This must be the power adjustment device. I can use this to shutdown the generator blocking the power flow. Then, the door should open. That is, if Fereydoon did his part.

Now… it should be this lever," he said, pulling the middle lever. As he did, it made a strange shutdown sound, until it went quiet. The generator stopped humming, and the wire began to emit electricity. Bartholomew sighed. He turned away from it and walked down the path silently, until he reached the door he'd entered from. He opened it, and solemnly walked out of the room, the door closing behind him.

William, slumped in the corner, slowly raised his head and coughed, "I'm… not… dead…?"

An astral image appeared, "Of course not." It said.

"We… Weston…" William said, coughing, trying to hold the gateway of blood back.

"That man deceives you. Those are the radicals. Vinchezna is on their side." Weston said, adjusting his glasses.

"But… Bartholomew…"

"William, leave Weitzheim. We will meet up in the contingency lab on Locus Solus." Weston replied.

William struggled to stand and stared, "What about Tnaeira and the "nuke" projects?"

"I have a new plan to revive Tnaeira. She will return to Locus Solus with us. As for our projects, I have stored the information in the contingency lab ahead of time. Nothing will be lost." Weston replied.

"So… we're abandoning Weitzheim?"

Weston nodded. "I will join you. First, I have to ensure they do not take the Ultimaga Decimator."

William nodded, "Very well… I will… see you at the… contingency… lab." He said, slowly.

Weston nodded, and his image disappeared.

William sighed, and vanished.

-

Bartholomew emerged in the lobby to Weitzheim again. He stared strangely at the middle doorway, which was now open. "Fereydoon must've done his part," he said, walking up the carpeted stairs. He looked around, "...but where is he?"

Nobody was around. The lobby was silent.

Bartholomew sighed, "He'll have to catch up! I have to find Volsung!" he yelled, and ran through the middle doorway.

The room he emerged into was a very long hallway, mostly like the hallway he was just in, except a lot wider. It branched off into other rooms, as well. There were three doors on each side. As he walked through the hallway, he stared at the names on the doors. One of them read, "Infirmary". Another read, "Experimentation Facility". And one, the middle door on the right wall, read "Interrogation Facility".

"That must be it!" Bartholomew yelled, walking to the door, forcing it open. He walked in it.

The very first thing that caught his eye was the large river of blood on the floor. He stared at it in disbelief, hoping that it wasn't too late. The second thing he stared at was the torture devices, some of which were strewn with blood and rust. In the middle of the room, to the right of the burning brazier, was Volsung, covered in blood, his body beaten and bruised.

Bartholomew ran over to him and picked him up, "Volsung!" he yelled, slapping his face, trying to get him awake.

Volsung did not respond.

"Damn it! Am I too late!?"

He tried once more to wake Volsung up, once again to no avail. Frantically, he ran out of the room and to the Infirmary across the hall. Inside the infirmary there was a row of beds and next to each of them, a small nightstand with a lamp. Across from the beds, there was a desk, most likely where the doctor sat. On the desk, Bartholomew found various notes about things. Some of them were in regards to the Laboratory, and others were in regards to the 'compatability' project. He had no time to waste reading them. To the right, he saw something out of place. It was a large cylindrical machine that was tilted. There was a layer of glass covering it. Inside was a bed of sorts.

"A recovery module?" Bartholomew asked.

Bartholomew walked over to the machine and stared at it, and the console next to it.

There were instructions taped to the top of the console.

"To open the recovery module:

Pull down the second lever and adjust the recovery frequency. Insert the

Injured patron in the bed and push the green button to raise the protective

glass cover.

Recovery could take at least 30 minutes to an hour. Be patient."

Going by the directions, Bartholomew pulled the second lever and the layer of glass slowly moved downwards, opening a space where he could lay Volsung inside. As he carefully placed Volsung inside the recovery module, he noticed how horrible he looked.

It was clear that the young boy had been through an ordeal of pain and horror. Sighing sadly, he pushed the green button to raise the protective glass cover, and green lights began to shine on Volsung's body.

"Thirty minutes to an hour…" Bartholomew said, sadly. "What in the world did he do to you, Volsung…?" he asked, rhetorically.

Volsung lay silently in the recovery module, the green light covering his body. As it shone on him, it revealed more injuries that Bartholomew didn't know Volsung had.

"Volsung… you can't die…" Bartholomew said, "You have to reach your goal! You just have to!" He continued staring at Volsung's ripped clothes and the whip marks. A tear came to his eye.

He couldn't help but feel for Volsung, and the terrified look Volsung had on his face just put a sword through his heart that he couldn't remove. At least 25 minutes had passed, and Volsung's wounds were still there.

"W… why isn't it working?" Bartholomew asked, sadly. "Is… is he…"

The green lights shut off, and the protective covering lowered. Bartholomew stared, absolutely amazed. Volsung's wounds were completely gone!

He walked over to Volsung, "Volsung?" he asked, "Are you… okay?"

Volsung opened his eyes and looked around confusedly, "Where… where am I?" he asked.

Bartholomew stared, "The Infirmary. I found you in the Interrogation Room. It's a good thing too, you were just about dead."

Volsung stared with tears in his eyes and hugged Bartholomew, "I'm so glad… I'm not dead…" he said, crying.

"I am too… what happened to you? You had so many wounds…" Bartholomew said, still hugging him.

Volsung explained everything that happened in the torture chamber. He explained the pain he felt, the terror he experienced and the foreboding darkness that was in his heart the entire time. All the while, Bartholomew sat silently and listened to everything he had to say. Volsung's words brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't believe Vinchezna could do such horrible things.

After Volsung had finished recounting his horrible tale, Bartholomew told him what had happened on his side. He told him how William had attacked, and how he had killed William in order to shut down the generator.

Volsung sighed sadly, listening to everything Bartholomew said, as Bartholomew had done before.

"So the man in black is… dead…" Volsung said, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"Yeah… if things were different, maybe he could've been on our side." Replied Bartholomew, in a sorrowful voice.

Volsung nodded.

"We have to find Fereydoon." Volsung said.

"Agreed." Bartholomew replied.

"By the way, Bartholomew, have you noticed something odd about this place?" asked Volsung.

"You mean… the walls?"

Volsung nodded. "There seems to be a purple liquid inside of them. What is it?"

"I don't know." Replied Bartholomew.

"Hmm…"

"There is a library across the hall. Do you want to see if we can find out?"

"Yes. I'm also interested in the Ultimaga Decimator." Volsung replied.

"Then let's go to the library." Bartholomew said.

Volsung nodded, and the two left the infirmary.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5.

**Author's Note: **This story was a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123. He usually did most of the writing, while I would come up with the story, point out various errors, help keep the story/game facts straight, and think of dialogue, while also making sure his character dialogue and actions were not out-of-character. The input we each had varies from chapter to chapter. He has since decided to stop writing it, and we have drifted apart, so I am taking his suggestion and finding someone else to help me finish it. The first seventeen chapters are going to be the ones me and him worked on together, while the ones after that will be the work of me and another person. In this chapter, both myself and Vinsfeld did the writing, and I handled the editing and gave some major plot ideas. As always, there were some errors I could not convince him to change. Also, I fixed some grammar errors that made the story hard to read before.

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Seventeen**

Volsung and Bartholomew walked across the hallway, towards the door that was labeled

"Library". It was next to the Infirmary, across from a room labeled, "Telecommunications".

"All right. We're here." Bartholomew said, stopping in front of the library. "Are you sure you want to do this? You may not like what you will find out."

"I have to know sooner or later," replied Volsung.

"I agree," Bartholomew responded, with a nod.

The two of them pushed open the door to the library and walked inside, the door closing behind them. It was the same as any other room in Weitzheim, black marble flooring and ceiling, red transparent walls. The bookshelves were lined from the left wall to the right, each filled haphazardly with a collection of books. In the very middle of the room was a very large black bookshelf, towering to the ceiling. It was filled with a different type of book. Each of them were the same. They were thick books and the bindings were made of crystal.

"This is odd…" Bartholomew said, walking towards them.

"What… are they?" asked Volsung, intrigued.

Bartholomew picked one up. From the title cover, you could see into the first page. The binding was transparent, just like the walls were. "Hm… I think this one is a book on the Ultimaga Decimator." He replied.

"What does it say?"

Bartholomew opened the binding and read aloud, "'The Ultimaga Decimator is a devastating weapon from the Civilization of Lost Technology. It is twelve feet long in length, and the barrel is at least twelve centimeters wide. It is the most unique weapon that those from the Civilization of Lost Technology have ever created. Within the Ultimaga Decimator is a special crystal that absorbs the element of fire into it. Then, it absorbs the element of ice. It proceeds to combine the two elements until the crystal reaches its max limit. Then, in a glorious dome of pure white, it is unleashed to cause devastating damage to anything it attacks. Note that if you wish to fire the Ultimaga Decimator _both _elements must exist. There must be a source for fire _and_ ice. If it is not fired this way, the barrel will explode, creating a large blast that stems at least twelve miles long. The Ultimaga Decimator was designed to be compatible with large golems, but use by humans is not impossible. If positioned on a large mountain or a floating location, it can be fired to multiply the immense amount of damage." He said, closing the book. "Nothing else is legible, I'm afraid.'"

Volsung stared in awe, "H… how is that possible?! They replicated something _that_ large?!"

"It would seem so… I'm fascinated in how they can replicate such things. To do that, they would need someone from the Civilization of Lost Technology… and that's simply impossible. They all died out a long time ago." Bartholomew explained.

"What if one of them survived?" asked Volsung.

"The odds of that are highly unlikely. They would have to have been hidden for at least a thousand years. To be hidden that long… you would need something truly extraordinary to keep your body alive." Bartholomew replied. The tone of his voice was strange. It was as if he was keeping something from Volsung.

Volsung felt it as well. The strange tone that Bartholomew had taken-what did it mean?

How could they replicate lost technology? Who was _really _responsible for this laboratory? Was it Vinchezna? The radicals? An unknown third party, perhaps? And what was so uncertain about this assault? Why did it make Volsung feel so uneasy that Vinchezna would open the door to Weitzheim without a fight?

It was almost as if…

It was almost as if they were in the middle of an ingenious trap.

Bartholomew put the book away and sighed, "There's still nothing about that strange liquid…"

"What if it's blood?" Volsung asked, staring at the wall.

Bartholomew tilted his head slightly in Volsung's direction, "Blood…? Of… what?"

Volsung thought for a few seconds. Finally, he answered, "A dragon."

Bartholomew stepped back a few steps, stunned, "A… dragon? Are you insane?!"

"It's just a thought…"

"A… a dra… but… there's no way this…. There's no way this facility could hold a _dragon's blood_!"

"It could be powered on a dragon's blood…"

"I've never heard of any such device… ever. If it is powered by the blood of a dragon, then I question the technology level in this facility." Bartholomew replied.

"Question?" asked Volsung, turning to Bartholomew.

"Yes… if it runs on the blood of a Dragon, it's not from Filgaia." Bartholomew explained.

"…but… William is from Filgaia, isn't he?"

"No. He's from Locus Solus." Bartholomew replied. "What I mean is that this facility isn't from Locus Solus _or_ Filgaia. In other words, it's foreign."

"Then they have other reasons for wanting the Ultimaga Decimator!" Volsung said.

"For our sake, I pray that is not true…" replied Bartholomew, solemnly. He skimmed the crystalline spines of the books, looking for anything that would be remotely interesting to him. He found a book and took it out, "Huh… the 'Uncertainty Theory'." He announced.

"Un…certainty? What does that mean?"

"It means… hesitant. This book was written by a man named Weston Carlyle.

Apparently, he's a doctor of sorts. Anyway, this is a theory on environmental reversals. This Carlyle was trying to find a way to reverse the damage that the technology from almost one thousand years ago did to the land. He planned to do it using the Ultimaga Decimator, but… it's a weapon built to destroy. This is very interesting… not only did he want to reverse the land, it almost seems like he wanted to abolish it completely. He wanted to find a way to raise everything on Filgaia so that it would float in the air."

"But—that's impossible!!!!"

"I don't know… this is all very strange…" Bartholomew replied. Did they plan to replicate all of these lost technology machines simply to replicate the Ultimaga Decimator? Then… is Weitzheim-

Just then, the two of them heard a strange sound, like a doorknob being turned.

The two of them quickly whirled around.

"Damn!" Volsung shouted.

In the commotion, Bartholomew dropped the crystalline book, which shattered to the floor.

"NO!!" he yelled, trying to pick the pieces up.

"It's too late!" Volsung yelled, and ran behind one of the bookcases on the right side of the library with Bartholomew.

A man with red eyes and white hair, parted in the middle, walked out of a room on the left side of the library, wearing a long white lab coat. He adjusted his glasses and stared horrified at the broken pieces on the floor, "WH… what in the-"

Volsung and Bartholomew watched the man from afar, neither of them recognizing him.

"Humph… so the rats have gotten this far, have they?" the man asked, adjusting his glasses. He chuckled intimidating, "Well then… let's see the radical bastards get into the sanctum." He pulled back part of his hair and let it fall, laughing as he did.

"Who is he?" Volsung whispered.

"Who knows…? I don't recognize him at all. That isn't Leopold." Bartholomew replied.

The man picked up a book from the bookshelf and walked towards the exit of the library, opening the door and walking out of it, closing it afterwards.

Volsung and Bartholomew walked back to the broken shards of the book and sighed.

"That was a close one…" Bartholomew said.

"I'd say so… he took a book from the bookshelf. Which one is it?"

Bartholomew looked around the bookshelf and sighed, "I have no idea…. I don't think I got around to reading it, yet."

"Damn…"

"This facility… is mysterious. I want to know what those symbols on the wall are…" replied Bartholomew.

Volsung nodded. "Well… what do we do now?'

"He mentioned a sanctum. I'd say that is where we are going… or at least, that's where we'll find the main controls of this place." Bartholomew said.

"He also mentioned that it wouldn't be easy to get to…" Volsung reminded.

"What did he mean by that?" Bartholomew wondered.

"Maybe it requires a password…"

"I'm not sure about that. Passwords are generally easy to crack. Something tells me this facility will require something else…"

"I wonder if it has to do with those strange colored walls."

"I doubt that." Bartholomew replied, "I would put my money on the fact that the book he stole was the information on the way of entry."

Volsung sighed, "That will make it difficult for us to get in…"

"We should go find Fereydoon." Bartholomew responded.

Volsung nodded. The two of them walked across the library towards the exit door.

Bartholomew turned the doorknob and pulled the door open, holding it for Volsung to walk through. He stepped over the threshold, and walked into the hallway. Bartholomew followed.

Once again they were back in the long hallway that had three doors on each wall, right and left. The middle door on the right side was the torture chamber, and directly across from it was the library. To the left of the library was the door labeled "Telecommunications" and to the right was, of course, the Infirmary.

Bartholomew looked around the hallway for Fereydoon, while Volsung walked forward to the wall near the Infirmary door. He placed his right palm on it, staring at it intently. Almost instantaneously, a blinding pain shot straight into his mind.

"G… gah!!" he yelled, trying to take his hand away from the wall, but it wouldn't move.

_Are you the one that wishes to know who I am?_ A voice asked inside his mind.

_One who… wants to know who you are? Who… who are you?_

_I am called Tnaeira. And you are Volsung… I have watched you in this place. _Tnaeira replied, in his mind.

…_watched me? But… why?_

_Vinchezna… he hurt you many times, didn't he?_

Volsung gasped. Bartholomew stared oddly at him. "Are… you okay, Volsung?"

Volsung turned to Bartholomew's direction and gave him a nod. "Yes. Have you found Fereydoon?"

"No… not yet." Bartholomew replied.

_So… you really have watched me. Why didn't you help?_

Tnaeira spoke, its voice no higher than a whisper in his mind_. I could not help you simply because I have no control over this place._

_Where are you?_

_Here and there; I am everywhere, and I am nowhere._

Volsung was highly confused by that statement.

Bartholomew walked over to Volsung, "Hey… are you all right?"

Volsung noticed that his hand was now off of the wall and stared into his palm intently. He raised his head and replied, "Y… yes. I'm fine."

"I can't find Fereydoon anywhere! Where did he get to?"

"Should we check the rooms?"

"No." Bartholomew said, shaking his head. "We don't need to waste anymore time in this place. Leopold _promised _that he would fire the Decimator in three days."

"Agreed." Volsung said.

"Oh! There you are!" a familiar voice behind Volsung spoke, placing its left hand on Volsung's shoulder.

Volsung jumped and turned slowly to the person who had placed their hand on him. It was Fereydoon. "Oh… It's just you, Fereydoon."

Fereydoon raised his eyebrow, "Were you expecting someone else?"

"Actually, I was trying _not _to expect someone else."

"Fereydoon! I'm glad you're all right. I see you did your job, as well." Bartholomew commented.

Fereydoon gave Bartholomew a quick nod.

"Jobs?" Volsung asked, hazily.

"Yes." Fereydoon replied, "The door to this area of Weitzheim could only be opened when we shut down the two blocking generators."

"That's funny… when Vinchezna took me through that door, it was clearly open. He never closed it." Volsung responded.

"Odd… at least a few seconds passed before we entered, too… there's not enough time to close it."

"Very strange, indeed." Fereydoon responded.

"That man spoke once again, of the Inner Sanctum of this place. Where might it be?"

"Hmm… let's see… this appears to be the main hallway. I would say we're very close to the center of the facility, so…" Bartholomew turned to the north direction, and faced a very large steel door, much like the other door, but very much bigger.

"Is that it!?" Volsung asked.

Bartholomew nodded, "I would say so. That should lead to the center, or 'Inner Sanctum' of the facility."

Volsung walked towards the large steel door and tilted his head up to it. It was incredibly immense, and lights were running up and down it, colored red and blue.

Bartholomew and Fereydoon followed, and also admired the door.

"So… beyond this lies the man that owns Weitzheim…"

"Are we ready? Leopold won't give in easily."

Fereydoon and Volsung nodded.

"Then let's go." Bartholomew announced, walking towards the door. Oddly enough, it opened, as if inviting them inside. The three of them gave each other suspicious glances, and cautiously stepped within.

The gigantic steel door slammed shut. Volsung, Bartholomew and Fereydoon observed the very long bridge linking to a large platform in the center of the room. On each side were odd test tubes, with red liquid flowing through them; the same red liquid that was flowing through the walls. The roof of the room curved upwards, so as to meet a round-ish figure. In the center of the platform they could plainly see the figure of a man.

Bartholomew walked over the bridge first, with Volsung following. Fereydoon was last.

The man looked at them, and crazed laughter filled the room.

"Welcome, anomalies!" he stated, adjusting his glasses with a smile. "I'm so glad you could make it…"

"Who are you?!" Bartholomew demanded. "You aren't Leopold!"

"You're quite correct. I am not Leopold. However, I am the proprietor of this facility.

You may call me Dr. Weston Carlyle." Weston stated, with a bow. His voice was like a spear, cutting through each of them equally.

"Then you wrote that book in the library?"

"Ah!" Weston laughed, "So _you're _the rats that snuck into my library unannounced and shattered my beloved book!"

"Beloved book? What is the meaning of this! What is this Uncertainty Theory?!" Bartholomew demanded, throwing his hand to the side threateningly.

Weston adjusted his glasses and continued to laugh uncontrollably, "The Uncertainty Theory? Think you I would tell you such things? No! That is for the eyes of me and my beloved only!"

"It doesn't matter who you wrote it for! It will never work!" Bartholomew explained.

"Oh? And how can you be so sure? Isn't the art of science all about trial and error? So I take a few lives, what of it? At least I'll realize my mistakes and be able to counter them the next time, accordingly." Weston responded, laughter filling his words.

"You're trying to use a weapon made for destruction to restore the land!" Volsung interjected.

Weston turned to him and laughed, "Such judgmental words from one so young! 'A weapon of destruction'… that is so harsh, my young friend. Weapons aren't primarily used for destruction…" he adjusted his glasses, pausing dramatically, before continuing.

"…no. The use and the affiliation of the weapon depend on the user of the weapon. For example, if a warlord acquires a weapon made to enforce peace, he will use it to incite war. If an enemy acquires something that is designed to heal people, they can easily reconfigure it to kill them. It's wonderful what science can do, but it cannot answer all of our questions! No! Answers are gained by force only! Words are meaningless! The Ultimaga Decimator was used to destroy the land and those who once inhabited it. Such wonderful, delicious irony that it shall now be used to restore the very land it destroyed!"

"But how do you plan to fire it without killing so many!?" Fereydoon yelled, enraged.

"You're far too soft…. a scientist must be emotionless. They must not care about the lives they are about to take in the name of a cure. Think about it this way; how many people had to die before we cured most of today's diseases? 100 lives to save almost two million… those are good odds, aren't they?"

"NO!" Volsung shouted. "That's horrible! What about-"

"'What about the lives of those who died for those cures.' Is that what you were going to say? Such a cliché line! My answer is: they became martyrs for the cause. Their lives were not meaningless. Many of them would have willingly died for a cure to a disease. It is the same here. Many people will be willing to die for me to restore the land."

"But the Uncertainty Theory might not work! You could easily decay the land worse! That's why such technology is forbidden! Why don't you understand?!" Bartholomew yelled, acrimoniously.

"I don't know the meaning of the word 'forbidden', sir." Weston responded with a mocking laughter. "And besides… you came here to steal the weapon, did you not? Doesn't that make you just as bad as me?"

"Steal? No! We came to deactivate it!" Volsung disagreed.

Weston slowly walked across the platform and slapped Volsung with his left hand.

"Silence, you radical scum! You came to steal it for Leopold! Well… I won't let you have it! The Ultimaga Decimator is mine, and mine alone!"

"Leopold?! You've got that all wrong. We are in no way affiliated with him-"

Weston slapped him once more, "I won't listen to another word of your shameful badgering!" He said, and opened his coat pocket to unveil an average-sized gun. "Prepare to die!"

"A Portable Laser Cannon…!" Bartholomew said. "You wouldn't dare!!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

Bartholomew growled. "Volsung! Go quickly! Shut this entire facility down!"

"B-but how!?"

"I don't care how. Destroy the damned console! For the love of Pete, just do it!" he yelled in response.

Volsung hesitated for a few seconds, and then agreed. "Right!" he responded, and ran past Weston towards the back room.

Weston turned and raised his laser cannon. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted, and fired a shot. A long, dark blue ray of light violently ripped from the gun and flew straight into the top of the doorway leading into the back room. It was too late; Volsung had already passed through it. He laughed crazily, "That doesn't matter. I'll kill all of you and then I'll go after him!"

Bartholomew growled, "Like hell!" he responded.

"Oh? Then let's see you try and stop me!" Weston responded, pointing the ray at Bartholomew.

Fereydoon saw this as his chance to act. Quickly, he unsheathed his sword and ran past Weston, whom was occupied with Bartholomew. Bartholomew gripped the laser gun and raised it so the barrel was pointed to the ceiling. The two men struggled, Weston trying to break free of Bartholomew's grip. Fereydoon tried to slash at Weston, but Weston kicked him with his left foot before he could, sending Fereydoon flying to the edge of the platform.

Fereydoon struggled to maintain his balance as he grabbed onto one of the prongs attached to the bridge in the back room. Below him was a never ending abyss of blackness.

Bartholomew managed a punch on Weston, who smacked him head-on with the gun, sending him tumbling. He then proceeded to step on Bartholomew's back, taunting him.

Fereydoon, still attempting to maintain balance, threw his sword like a boomerang, as he had done previously in Twelbit when he was attempting to free Volsung. Weston saw it coming and almost instantaneously used his laser cannon to block it, sending it flying into the black abyss. Bartholomew noticed that Weston was distracted and used this distraction to stand up, sending Weston falling to the ground on his back. The Portable Laser Cannon flew through the air and crashed to the floor with a loud clanging sound, sliding midway.

Bartholomew attempted to run at it. Weston quickly reached for something in his pocket. It was a thick string, and he wrapped it around Bartholomew's foot, making him lose balance. He then stood up and ran at the laser cannon, grabbing it and pointing it once more at Bartholomew.

Enraged, Bartholomew stood up swiftly and violently tackled Weston. The two of them fell to the floor, and a loud click filled the room. Instantly, another beam of light ripped from the cannon, flying straight into the domed ceiling.

-

The ground quaked in the back room as Volsung heard a series of crashing and smashing sounds. Feverously he typed on a small console in the center of the room, directly in front of a circular branch of the platform. Beyond the platform was a large reactor, suspended in the black abyss stretching very far beneath the facility. The top of it was in no way visible. None of the words on the console made sense to Volsung. Angered, he smashed it violently.

"Damn it!" Volsung yelled. "If I can't figure out how to shut off this reactor, I can't shut down the facility!"

He continued typing into the console, hoping that one of the words would make sense to him, but of course they did not. "Work, damn you! Work!" he yelled, smashing and kicking. He continued this maneuver for a while, until he heard a loud clicking sound. He looked around, confused and bewildered. What had happened? He slowly began to observe the console becoming less and less visible, as if it was shutting down altogether.

"Yes! I've shut it down!" Volsung said, happily.

"It's not over yet…" a voice replied. It was a familiar voice. This voice sent chills down his spine and a sword through his heart. He knew immediately who it was.

"N… no! It can't be!!" Volsung yelled, backing away.

Almost immediately after this statement, a spear came crashing down on the console, followed by a man familiar to Volsung, who punched the floor and created a large crater.

The impact was so great that a very long crack formed in the center of the platform. The man stood upright, his left eye a bloody mess and closed completely. He smirked, a very familiar smirk that chilled Volsung's blood.

Volsung stared in complete disbelief. "Y... you're dead! You can't be alive…!" he said, his lips trembling as he spoke.

The man did not say a word. He merely walked slowly to Volsung, and picked him up by his hair, slowly and painfully. He lowered his gaze so that he and Volsung stared eye to eye.

"You…. Bastard…." The man said, slowly.

Volsung could not respond. The pain was far too great for him; it was as if a hundred knives were stabbed through his body at once, and had no intention on leaving.

"Look at my eye…" he said, holding all of his anger in. It was only by a small smidge that he held it.

Volsung hesitated. He slowly looked into the tattered left eye of the man, which was badly stabbed and not at all open. A gigantic stab wound was in the center of it.

"Speechless? No words of bravery, you insolent little brat?" asked the man, his voice cold.

Volsung struggled to speak. Through much searing pain, he responded, "It's a good look for you." A smirk came across his face. It was a painful smirk, which strained most of the muscles in his body.

Vinchezna growled angrily, and threw Volsung by his hair across the room. He smacked violently into the rails of the platform, slumping to the floor uselessly. "You little BASTARD! You took my eye from me… how _dare_ you attempt to be brave in _my _presence!! I'll make sure you pay dearly!!" he screamed, walking towards Volsung.

"I'm not afraid of you…" Volsung struggled.

"What? What did you just say!?"

"I said… I'm not afraid of you!" Volsung replied.

"Oh! Is that so? Who do you think you are, you brat!?"

He smirked again, straining his muscles. "At least I can see…"

Vinchezna laughed sarcastically, and picked up his spear. A bloodshot look came into his eye, which slowly turned blood red. "I'm going… to make you BLEED for that statement!!!" he yelled violently and authoritatively, throwing the spear forward. It stabbed into Volsung's right shoulder, and slowly began to slash down, cutting through the ligaments.

"I can … take this!!" Volsung struggled as he tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

Vinchezna walked over to him and slapped him violently across the face. "Is that so? You can take this? CRY! I want to see you cry for me!"

"No!" Volsung replied.

Volsung's tormentor took hold of his spear, and drew it down slowly, so as to allow Volsung to absorb each and every ounce of pain.

.

Vinchezna yelled, his voice booming. "I'm going to make you feel the pain that I felt when you took my eye!" he unsheathed a dagger and walked forward towards Volsung, who was completely immobile. He leaned down on his knees and lifted Volsung's chin. "Does it hurt brat? How does it feel? You might never move your arm again…"

Volsung gritted his teeth as hard as he could so as to not reply.

Vinchezna licked the blade of the dagger and grinned, "It's about to hurt a lot more!" he yelled, and slowly stabbed the dagger into Volsung's left shoulder. He forced it in slowly and painfully, ensuring that Volsung felt every shred of pain that it produced. "What about now? How does it feel now?"

Volsung struggled to remain silent against the immense pain.

.

Blood dripped from the hilt of the dagger and onto the floor. Vinchezna took his index finger and drew it across the small drop, laughing crazily as he did. "Yes… yes! That's it… more blood… more… and more crying!" he yelled, a glimmer in his right eye.

Volsung's pupils grew larger and larger. His gaze was fiercely concentrated on the dagger. Vinchezna slowly pulled the dagger out, and quickly stabbed it in again. He did this again, and again, and again, and again, while Volsung struggled not to cry out. He tried his hardest to invoke every ounce of strength that remained in his laughed, "Does it hurt!? Tell me! Does it hurt!? Cry, you brat! I want you to cry for me!"

Volsung kept his mouth firmly closed, so as to not let any of his pain leak out.

Vinchezna lifted his chin up once more and stared into his horror-stricken eyes.

"I suppose I'll have do something worse to get you to cry for me…" he said.

He reached into his pocket and took out a black stick, no bigger than the size of a nightstick. Volsung tilted his head as he stared at it.

"Curious, brat? This is a device from the Civilization of Lost Technology… I think you'll find its effects quite…" Vinchezna smiled cruelly, "…sensational."

He shook the stick until it turned bright red and yellow, somewhat like fire. He touched the stick to Volsung's skin ever so slightly, which slowly began to char.

Volsung mashed his teeth together in great pain, miraculously managing not to scream and beg for mercy.

Clearly enraged by this, Vinchezna smashed the stick into one of Volsung's open wounds.

Almost immediately, Volsung screamed out, "NO!!!!!!" and began crying hysterically.

"I'm sorry!! Stop!! I'm begging you!!"

"Yes! Yes!! That's it! More crying! You are my slave! I own you completely! Say it!"

"You own me… I am your… slave…" Volsung said, silently, barely audible.

"LOUDER!!" Vinchezna yelled, smashing the stick into yet another open wound.

"YOU OWN ME!!! I AM YOUR SLAVE!!" Volsung screamed out in agonizing pain, with tears pouring down from his eyes

Vinchezna laughed triumphantly, and grinded the stick into his left shoulder wound.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!! It hurts so badly! I feel my heart exploding as I speak!" Volsung sobbed.

"If you're so sorry… why don't you call me…" he grinned, "…master."

"I'm sorry, master…" Volsung whimpered, desperate for the pain to stop.

Vinchezna continued grinning, and pushed the stick in further.

"Go on, you broken dog! Beg me! Beg me for forgiveness!"

"I'm sorry, master! Please forgive me!"

"Louder!!" Vinchezna screamed.

"I'M SORRY, MASTER!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!"

"Yes, that's right! Beg your master for forgiveness!"

"I'm sorry, master… forgive me! Please! I'm begging you!"

And then, after Volsung had displayed his complete loyalty to Vinchezna, he stopped, and put the stick away. "I grow bored of this." He said. "Time for something else!"

He reached into his pocket and took out a black collar, wrapping it tightly around Volsung's neck. He held a strange rectangular device in his hand, "You screwed up, boy. You screwed up big time. And now, I'm going to make you regret your brave decision. If you're such a brave little boy, you should easily be able to stand the amount of pain that's about to sear through your useless heart!!!" he yelled, and took the dagger out of his shoulder, which was dripping and completely encrusted with blood. "This is how this little game is going to work! It's called 'Bleed or Die'. I'm going to slash your body with this dagger. If you don't bleed, I'm going to use this device to shock the hell out of you. If you do bleed, I'll slash again. Do you understand me!?"

Volsung did not respond.

Vinchezna pulled his hair violently, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" he thundered.

Volsung cried out in pain, "Y-yes!"

He pulled his hair harder, "Yes what!?"

"Yes… master…" Volsung sobbed.

"Good!" Vinchezna yelled, and slashed at Volsung's chest. No blood poured from the wound. Vinchezna pressed a button on the device, which sent a sharp pain through Volsung's mind.

Volsung cried out, agonizingly.

"Oh… and if you cry out again, I'll saw your freaking tongue off. It would serve you right for all of those comments you've made with that running mouth. Do you understand me!?"

"Yes, master…" Volsung nodded slowly.

Vinchezna slashed again, this time on the leg. Blood poured slowly from the wound. He slashed once more, this time on the abdomen. No blood poured from this slash. Vinchezna shocked Volsung accordingly.

Volsung bit into his lip very hard, until blood began to pour down his chin. _I'm going to die here… what am I doing? _He thought to himself._ I don't want to call him master… he isn't my master… why isn't Bartholomew helping me?_

Vinchezna slashed at his shoulder, which streamed with blood. He laughed triumphantly. He clearly owned Volsung.

Again he slashed at his chest, which produced no blood this time. The button was pressed once more, a teeth-shattering shock blazing through Volsung's neck. Volsung tried his hardest not to cry out. _If I cry out… _he thought._ I'll die… I must not cry out… I must not cry!_

Another slash, this time in the arm, producing no blood. The shock collar shocked him once more, sending another painful bolt into his mind.

Yet another slash, producing a significant amount of blood. Vinchezna smiled, and continued slashing.

"Hahahah… this is simply fantastic. So much blood! It's truly…. Invigorating…" he said, a sickening smile creeping across his face. He slashed once more, and again, and again. The game continued almost unceasingly, the slashes happening like clockwork.

At long last, after there was a large amount of blood around Volsung, Vinchezna finally stopped, finally satisfied that the boy had been broken. "Stand up," he said, "I'm getting bored of this."

Volsung did not comply.

"I SAID STAND UP!!!" he yelled, booming.

There was no response.

Vinchezna grabbed Volsung by the hair and tossed him across the room, smacking him into a wall. The dagger and spear fell out of him. He walked across the room and slammed his palm around his neck, gripping it tightly, "When I tell you to do something… you do it. You're my slave, you bastard." He placed pressure on Volsung's neck and his shoulder, which were badly weakened from the whole torturous ordeal. The pressure was enough to make his throat tighten. He could hardly breathe.

Volsung stared at him, horrified.

_It's true… I'm going to die here…_

"Stop!" he cried, not realizing what he had done. Vinchezna would surely cut out his tongue now.

Vinchezna smiled, "Oh. Its okay now, you can cry. In fact, I want you to."

Volsung remained silent, staring at the floor sadly. He continued to sob as Vinchezna laid more pressure on his wounds. Volsung wheezed as he breathed.

_I'll be dead soon… and all because of this stupid threat…_

"Not to worry, slave. I'm having too much fun to let you die. I'm going to keep you in this state forever."

_I'm not… your slave…_ Volsung thought to himself, staring at the ground.

"Say it, boy. Say that I am your master." Vinchezna commanded.

"You are… my master…" Volsung said, crying.

"Beg for forgiveness!"

"Forgive me, master. I am sorry for... taking your eye…" Volsung continued.

"That's right. You had better be! You stupid child…" Vinchezna humiliated. He slapped him and Volsung cried out in terror.

"That's enough!!!" a voice yelled, shattering the darkness in the room.

Vinchezna took his concentration off of Volsung and onto the door leading into the platform. Quickly, he took Volsung by the neck and held the dagger to him, walking back towards the reactor.

"Let him go, Vinchezna!"

"I don't think so," Vinchezna said, with a sinister smile. "He is my slave."

"He is not your slave!"

"Oh really? Boy, who is your master?"

Volsung replied. "...V...Vinchezna is my master."

Enraged by that statement, Bartholomew screamed, "LET HIM GO, VINCHEZNA!!!"

"No. I have big plans for him. I'm taking him to Schvartzwald, where he will be tortured and controlled forever by me." Vinchezna said, laughing.

"I won't let you do that!" Bartholomew yelled.

Slowly, Vinchezna inched to the reactor and picked up his spear. He smiled.

"What are you doing!?"

"STEP NO FURTHER!!! EMBRACE YOUR DEMISE AT MY HANDS!!! BURN… IN… HELLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!" Vinchezna screamed, his voice shaking the room. Instantaneously, he stabbed his spear into the reactor and turned it to the right, like a key.

"Hahahaha! Now what?! Will you disable the reactor, or will you try and save the boy from me? If you save him, you'll die along with that other brat and this boy. Of course, if I escape, you'll all live, but I'll be taking him to Schvartzwald, where he will be in my servitude so that I can torture him for years to come!!"

Bartholomew did not even have to think about the answer to Vinchezna's threat. He saw the broken look in Volsung's eyes and knew the damage already done to him physically and mentally might be undoable. Quickly, he threw Weston's gun aside and dashed across the room, and punched Vinchezna in the face, who fell to the floor. He picked up Volsung and stared at Vinchezna.

Slowly, Vinchezna stood, laughing maniacally, "You stupid bastard! You've doomed you all! I will escape from here, because you were stupid enough to save that brat!! HAHAHAHAH!"

A strange, foreign glyph slowly began to appear across the reactor. Vinchezna stared at it horrified.

"WH… what in the hell…!? WHAT IS THIS!?!??"

The reactor immediately tore itself open and swords flew from it, stabbing into Vinchezna.

"Volsung… Volsung! Snap out of it!" Bartholomew called.

"…Vinchezna is my master…" Volsung said quietly.

"WESTON!!! YOU LIED TO ME!!!"

_Weston didn't lie to you, Vinchezna… _a voice familiar to Volsung said.

"No…! TNAEIRA!?!?"

Immediately, the walls around Weitzheim that were holding the red liquid back shattered.

Vinchezna turned to the two of them, laughing sadistically, blood pouring from every part of his body. Behind him, a large part of the reactor opened, and a bright light began to shine. Slowly, Vinchezna began to disintegrate.

"How am I supposed to escape now!?" Bartholomew wondered, looking around frantically.

_Follow your heart… _the voice said, slowly_. It will guide you to the correct path…_

"I don't even know what's happening!!"

_Vinchezna has released the alchemic seals on my mind and soul… they were the powers sustaining Weitzheim. Now that they have been released, my blood no longer powers this laboratory. It will now begin to destroy itself... _Tnaeira explained. _There is no time to waste! This place will be destroyed! Quickly, leave!_

"But…! The Ultimaga Decimator…!" Bartholomew said. "I can't just…"

_I can no longer detect its presence. It is highly likely that it was stolen during the commotion._

Bartholomew's eyes grew incredibly wide. He now understood the reason behind this assault, "He used us…!! That bastard!!! Leopold used us!!!"

_So it would appear… _Tnaeira replied.

"Can you not stop this!? You are the power to this laboratory!"

_That is true… but I have no control over it now. The alchemy that was used to bind my body to the reactor has been shattered. My consciousness is slowly waning away…_

"But we'll never escape in time!!"

_Oh, but you will… you can do anything as long as you don't give up. Persevere... and you will achieve even the greatest of goals. _Tnaeira replied.

Bartholomew looked at Volsung, and then at the the reactor. "… Thank you, Tnaeira. I'm sorry I didn't get to know you."

_Thanking me? How uncharacteristic. I am, in a way, your enemy, you know. _Tnaeira responded.

"Why are you helping us?" Bartholomew asked, incredulously.

_I am helping you because you cared enough about Volsung to throw away your life. _

Tnaeira explained. _Now go. I have seen to it that Vinchezna will not make his way to Schvartzwald._

"Schvartzwald!? What is that?!"

_There is no time. If you seek the answer, go to Gounon! There you will find a man who used to work in this laboratory! Now move quickly!_

Bartholomew did not hesitate. Quickly he nodded, and ran out of the room.

_Weston… my beloved… I pray that you are correct… and we will meet again in Hakad Mordalques. _Tnaeira said, her voice slowly becoming less audible.

**((AUTHOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING PART WAS ADDED ON AND DONE SOLELY BY ME **_**AFTER**_** PARTING WAYS WITH VINSFELD, MEANING HE HAD **_**NO**_** INVOLVEMENT WHATSOEVER. IN OTHER WORDS, IF IT SHOWS UP IN HIS STOLEN COPY OF THIS FIC, THEN IT'S WITHOUT PERMISSION AND AN EVEN WORSE VIOLATION OF THE TERMS OF SERVICE))**

Cradling the broken and unresponsive Volsung in his arms, Bartholomew hurried through the destructing Weitzheim to where he had left Fereydoon near the entrance. The young man had been instructed to wait there after the pair had managed to subdue Winston-who, the captain noted, was nowhere to be seen now,-in order to ensure no one tried to obscure their way out. Though he had clearly not been happy to be left behind, he'd accepted this job like any soldier would, leaving the safety of his "Lord" to the captain.

"What on earth happened?!" Fereydoon questioned, shouting to be heard over the blaring alarms and loud rumbling noises that seemed to be coming from everywhere. His golden eyes were focused on the badly bleeding body in the older man's grasp.

"Vinchezna." was all he said, knowing now was not the time to go into details-not that he knew what had actually gone on while they'd been fighting Winston. The only thing he was certain of, was that the experience had devastated the child far more than the incident on the train, both physically as well as emotionally. He would have a long recovery in store for him, presuming they got him back to Mayflower before it was too late…

The captain shook his head, knowing he couldn't think like that. Volsung _would_ make it through this-he'd make sure of that. Turning to Fereydoon, he informed the Veruni that Weitzheim was self-destructing, and they needed to get moving.

Luckily, it didn't take them long to reach the end of the long tunnel that had led them to the island in the first place. It proved to not be a moment too soon, as ground-shaking explosions could be both heard and felt as they climbed up to the snow-covered land, relieved to feel the icy winds for a change.

Bartholomew called the Mayflower and requested for immediate emergency evacuation, telling them the same thing he'd told Fereydoon- Weitzheim had been destroyed. As the blinding light surrounded the trio, he looked down at Volsung. He was amazingly still conscious, but his eyes had not lost that empty, broken look, and he did not seem to be at all aware of what was happening, mumbling to himself.

Inwardly, the moderate leader cursed. Why had he made Volsung go ahead by himself to shut down the lab? He'd just barely managed to reach the boy in time to save his life the first time Vinchezna had tortured him. The poor kid probably would not have even been in that situation in the first place had it not been for him. He had let his guard down upon entering the main area of the lab, allowing the blood-crazed general to sweep in and drag Volsung off before he could do a thing. What the hell had he been thinking, ordering an essentially helpless thirteen-year-old to go off on his own, now knowing what would be waiting for him there?!

"_They are already looking for me, though. If you leave me alone, it will be that much more dangerous for me than staying by your side."_ When Volsung had first said that, the captain knew he hadn't really given it much thought. He truly believed he would be able to protect Volsung, even though he had failed to do so multiple times before, despite his best efforts. In reality, he would have been better off waiting on the Mayflower while they shut down Weitzheim.

"_To be honest… I'm terrified. I'm afraid that if I see him again, I'll lose control of myself… but as long as you're there, Bartholomew, I…I'm sure I'll be fine." _Volsung really had believed he'd be okay as long as the captain was with him. Those times when he was being tortured by Vinchezna, had he been waiting for Bartholomew to come and rescue him? How did he feel when the man arrived a little too late each time, leaving him to face unimaginable horrors?

Would Volsung ever be able to forgive him for being so careless-for not coming to his rescue until he was drenched in his own blood and completely detached from the world? That sight when he had entered the control room had been one he would never forget, just like when he'd found the boy bleeding all over the torture chamber. If the kid didn't pull through, he'd never forgive himself.

_Volsung…please hang in there…_


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wild ARMS 5. If I did, Wild ARMS Alter Code: Z would be a reality!

**Author's Note: **This story _**was**_ a collaboration between myself and Vinsfeld123-as of this chapter and the end of the last one, it is solely my own. If you see anything from this point on in his copied version of this story that he was posted, then please be aware he is stealing it, as this part of the story is being written now that we have stopped working together, and he has NOTHING to do with it.

Also, the end of Chapter 17 HAS been updated. Read before you make accusations, people!

Please read and review!

-

**Chapter Eighteen**

Volsung whimpered, shivering. It was so cold here. Where was he? Everything was dark, and his body hurt all over. He remembered being tortured by Vinchezna, then the captain showing up, but what had happened after that? His mind was foggy, preventing him from remembering anything after Bartholomew had entered the control room just yet. Maybe it would all come back to him once he figured out where he was, but he was too afraid to open his eyes, unsure what he would find.

Finally, he worked up the courage to crack them open and peer at his surroundings. They were dreary and unfamiliar. The walls were made of dirty-looking, dark gray stones, as was the floor. It looked kind of like the basement of his house back in Twelbit, only he could tell it was much bigger.

He was dreadfully uncomfortable. Thanks to the tremendous pain his body was in, the hard cot he was lying on felt about ten times worse than it probably should have. This definitely wasn't the Mayflower…was he in somebody's house or something?

His head spinning from all the questions he could not answer, Volsung opened his eyes all the way, certain at the very least that he was alone, even if he had no idea where. He sat up and looked around. The large room really did look like a basement of some kind. There were shelves and boxes full of junk all over the place, covered in a thick layer of dust that thankfully was absent from the cot he'd been lying on. The only light in the room came from a few tiny windows near the ceiling behind him, though there was a lantern on a crate beside the bed. To his right was an ancient-looking door with one of the lower corners broken off. There was another door to his left, at the far end of the room. He wondered what lay on the other side of them, but was in too much pain to go check at the moment and still rather afraid of what he would find. Instead, he turned his attention to himself, to see how bad his wounds were.

His arms hurt the worst, which made sense given the vicious abuse they had been put through-especially his shoulders. He was relieved that he could still move both of them, remembering how his master-no, Vinchezna-had commented that he might not be able to do so ever again. They, much like most of his body, were tightly wrapped in white bandages that were surprisingly comfortable, having apparently been completely taken care of while he was unconscious, though his clothes were a complete nightmare-bloody, burned, and torn. If whoever had brought him to this dreary room had gone through the trouble of having fixed up all his wounds, maybe he didn't need to be afraid. Maybe Bartholomew or Fereydoon were waiting for him behind one of those doors…That thought made him feel a little better.

Looking around some more, he noticed his boots had been taken off and set on the floor beside the bed, prompting him to look down at his bare feet. That was when he noticed the chain.

Around his right ankle was a thin shackle, with a long, lightweight chain attached to it. The chain was fastened firmly to the wall in front of the bed, but its length would allow him to move around the room freely, though he was willing to bet it would not stretch far enough for him to reach the door to his left, as he guessed that was the way out of this place, and he was apparently a prisoner of some kind.

This realization caused his memories to come rushing back to him. He remembered now. Right before Bartholomew had shown up, Vinchezna had been saying how Volsung was his slave and how he was going to take him someplace where he could torture and control him forever. The name was weird, and he couldn't remember it, nor did he want to. He thought instead about what had happened after that.

The captain had shown up, and Volsung could recall Vinchezna doing something to the reactor in the control room...Yes, he had made it so that Weitzheim would self-destruct. If the captain tried to save him from Vinchezna, then he wouldn't have enough time to disable the reactor and stop the lab from exploding, killing all three of them while their foe got away. But if he took the time to disable the reactor so they could all survive, he would have to let Vinchezna escape with him…

Volsung could feel the tears welling in his eyes. He knew Bartholomew had done the only thing he could. If he hadn't disabled the reactor, then they all would have died and Vinchezna would have gotten away. He knew it had to be a hard choice for the older man and that shutting down the reactor had been the only way for them all to survive, but…that somehow didn't make it any easier.

He had been abandoned. In order to save them all, the captain had been forced to make sure the lab did not explode, even if it meant turning away while Vinchezna fled with the boy he'd sworn to protect. After that, things got blurry again-that might have been when he finally passed out from the whole ordeal.

So now he was once again completely at Vinchezna's mercy, with little chance of the captain or anyone else coming to save him anytime soon. His entire body started to shake, tears falling uncontrollably from his eyes. Along with the understanding that he wouldn't be rescued this time, he couldn't stop thinking about what lie in store for him here. Vinchezna had made his intentions more than clear-the boy was to be his slave, tortured and controlled by him forever. The very thought of what he would have to go through everyday from now on made him feel like throwing up, but he knew that doing so might make whatever awaited him even worse. Instead, he settled for curling back up into a ball on his little cot and sobbing miserably.

-

When he finally couldn't cry anymore, Volsung dried his eyes on his arm and just lay completely still. This proved to be a bad idea, since it just made him think more about what was going to happen to him. He couldn't stand simply sitting around and _waiting_. It was already late afternoon, and the sky was cloudy and ominous through the windows, adding to the sense of dread he felt. He needed to find some way to take his mind off of Vinchezna and whatever he had in store.

Sitting up, Volsung got off the cot, shuddering as his bare feet touched the cold ground. He wanted to see what was through the right door, and now was as good a time as any. His legs ached a bit, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The only real problem was that he was afraid to know what was behind the door. Given the length of the chain, it would seem he was meant to have access to it. And that would explain why that one corner was broken off-to allow him to shut the door without worrying about it getting stuck. But why would he _need_ to shut it?

Swallowing nervously, Volsung opened it and was surprised to find himself in a fairly large bathroom. Unlike the other room, this one was well-kept, and it even had a lock on the door, which answered his earlier question. He knew that such a device wouldn't be able to keep out anyone who seriously wanted to get in, but found it interesting that it had been included nonetheless. If he was right in assuming that this bathroom was his to use, the fact that it had a lock certainly made him feel better.

A quick peek in the square cabinet over the sink told him that it was also well-equipped with more than enough stuff to take care of himself-more than he'd ever had back home in Twelbit. He closed the cabinet and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that was on the other side of its door.

Man, he looked awful. His hair was a complete mess, his eyes were red, his face was still wet from when he'd been crying, despite his best efforts to wipe away the evidence, and there was a mark on his neck from where the shock collar had been earlier.. This was what he usually saw when he looked at his reflection though, thanks to being a half-breed and the bullying that went along with that. For that reason, he had never been too fond of mirrors.

Volsung exited the bathroom and climbed back onto the cot. Hugging his knees to his chest, he wondered what was going to happen to him. Would he ever be released from this gloomy room? Or was his fate to remain in here until Vinchezna decided to come down and torture him for his own amusement? He wouldn't even need to take the boy from the room to do that. He trembled at the thought of it-spending day after day trapped alone in this room, constantly insulted and tortured with little to no hope of ever being rescued. How would anyone find him here? And why would anyone even want to? He was nothing more than a burden on everyone…Bartholomew and Fereydoon were always having to yank him out of dangerous situations and wound up in many solely because he was with them. It was all his fault…

He could feel tears forming in his eyes and knew he was about to start crying again. But before they could start to fall, he heard the sound of the door at the far end of the room being unlocked and froze. He immediately lay back down-curled into a ball-and turned away from the door, hoping whoever it was might think he was still sleeping and just go away. As desperate as he was to know what was going to happen to him, he could stand putting it off for a few more hours.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he listened as the door was opened. There was a pause, then he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards him. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to will his body not to give away the fear he was feeling, and it took all his effort not to whimper or sob as the footsteps stopped beside him.

He could feel another face close to his own, warm breath tickling his ear as the person spoke in an all-too-familiar voice. "Good morning, slave. Sleep well?"

All his resolve instantly shattered at the sound of Vinchezna speaking to him, and he felt his body start to tremble violently. Still, he kept his eyes closed and did not say anything, trying to delude himself into thinking that if he did these things, the man might somehow be fooled and believe he really was asleep, even though the fact that he was shaking was a dead giveaway.

Panic and a slight jolt of pain shot through him as he felt Vinchezna's gloved hand close firmly around his neck. It probably hadn't been meant to hurt him, but that area was still sensitive from the ordeal with the shock collar. Letting out a small whimper, Volsung let his eyes slide open and his face was turned so that he was looking directly at that of the man who haunted his nightmares.

"Now is that any way to behave in front of your master?" he asked with a smirk, amused at the horror-stricken look the boy was giving him. "We are going to be together for a very long time, so it's in your best interest to try and be as pleasant as possible…for your own safety. Understand?"

Volsung nodded, a gesture which made even more pain throb in his neck. Though his tears threatened to fall, he miraculously managed to force them back. He didn't want to cry in front of this man, even though he knew from experience that was what he liked and that he could easily make him do so if he wanted. In fact, he was half expecting just that. He was expecting that hand around his neck to tighten and increase his pain enough to force his tears out.

That's why he was surprised when the man simply released him and straightened. He didn't get a chance to feel relieved though, as he immediately ordered him to sit up. Not wanting to provoke the dangerous man, he complied, staring down at his hands intently and wishing they weren't shaking so hard. But he was so afraid, wondering what torture the man had in store for him now, perhaps as a punishment for pretending to be asleep and ignoring him.

Vinchezna went to the other end of the cot and crouched down, undoing the chain on the boy's ankle. "Your first task as my slave will be to bring me my dinner." he said as he did this, not looking at the child. "I'll be waiting in my study-just look at the maps on the wall to get there." There was a loud, echoing noise as the chain and shackle fell to the ground. "But first," He paused and reached into the white cloak that was draped around him. Volsung froze, unable to shift his eyes from the hand that had disappeared into the cloak, certain it would emerge with some device that would be used to cause him terrible pain, such as that fire stick-something he possibly feared even more than his captor.

He ended up surprised yet again, as the man withdrew only some neatly-folded clothes and tossed them onto the boy's lap. Volsung looked down at them. They were a dark, ugly gray color, but they were warm and smelled like detergent, which would be a very welcome change to the ruined clothing he'd been wearing since he'd been forced out of Twelbit.

"If you weren't already aware, the door behind you leads to a bathroom." Vinchezna told him, arms folded. "It's yours from now on, so use it to get cleaned up, then get started on that task I gave you." With that, he turned and walked away. "Don't keep me waiting." he warned before leaving the room.

Volsung just sat there for a moment, looking at the clothes in his hands, then towards the door his captor had just disappeared through. _That_ had certainly gone different than he'd expected. When Vinchezna came for him, he'd expected to be tortured or at least slapped around a bit, but the man hadn't really hurt him at all. Scared him, yes, but not hurt him. He'd even given him new-if rather ugly-clothes and a bathroom he was allowed to use to get cleaned up-a pleasure that he had been denied during his journey and greatly looked forward to now. His task came as a bit of a shock as well. Bringing dinner? Of course, he knew it would be unwise to get ahead of himself. Vinchezna could just be trying to lull him into a false sense of security. The worst might still be yet to come, a thought which made him feel afraid again.

There was no time to sit around and worry though. If he took too long, Vinchezna was bound to get angry and possibly use that as an excuse to hurt him, not that he really needed one at this point. He didn't know what counted as "too long", but decided he'd better get moving before he found out the hard way.

-

After getting showered and changed in record time, Volsung was finally ready to leave his oppressive prison, once more unsure just what to expect. What kind of place was it that Vinchezna had taken him? Did all of it look as depressing as this room? Would he bump into other people? That last possibility scared him quite a great deal. Meeting new people was hard enough for someone as shy as he was, but considering the situation he was in and his status as a half-breed, he didn't really _want_ to meet anyone. One person torturing and humiliating him was more than enough.

Not wanting to walk around barefoot, he pulled on his boots. They clashed horribly with his new outfit-a long-sleeved shirt that buttoned down the front and slacks,-but he didn't care. He looked better than he had in ages, and despite his circumstances, he actually felt pretty good too, having missed the privilege of being able to bathe and wear clean clothes while running away from the many people trying to kill or capture him. Of course, who knew how long either would stay that way. Before the day was out, he could be soaked in his own blood again…

Forcing himself to stop getting distracted by what _might_ happen, Volsung went over to the door and opened it to find a narrow space with a set of stairs leading up to another door. He went up them and through the second door, only to be completely taken aback by what he saw.

It was like he had stepped into another world. He stood at one end of a large, extravagant hallway in what had to be a mansion-one that rivaled even Lady Diana's back in Twelbit. The other end seemed like it was a mile away. The floor was carpeted in red, the walls high and a creamy white and covered in regal-looking decorations. Everything looked as though it were bathed in candlelight-yet no candles were actually visible; the light just seemed to be there, filling the entire hallway,-as all the windows were hidden behind large drapes. He found it hard to believe someone like Vinchezna lived here, in a place that looked like something out of a storybook.

"He said I'm supposed to bring him his dinner." Volsung muttered to himself, switching his focus to the task at hand. "So…I guess I'm supposed to go to the kitchen?" He really wasn't sure, but it was his best bet. Now he just had to figure out how to get there, which turned out to be pretty easy, as there was a large scroll with a map of the first floor up on the wall. This also struck him as really weird, but he decided to just be glad he wouldn't have to spend hours wandering aimlessly through this place.

The kitchen was at the other end of the hall, while Vinchezna's study was up on the next floor. To get to it, he'd have to use the stairs that intersected the hall at the center, on both sides. Hurrying to that point, he saw a wide set going up to the second floor on the left and an equally-wide, but much shorter set, going down to a large double door on the right. He couldn't help wondering, since this was the first floor, if that door was the exit.

There wasn't a bone in his body that didn't want to run and see, but he was too afraid to risk it. Chances are it was locked anyway or that there would be some other measures set to make sure he didn't escape. The fear of trying only for one of those to be true-or, even worse, to try and get caught,-was more than enough reason for him to turn and continue on his way down the hall.

Sure enough, there was a large, oval-shaped platter with a fancy lid waiting on top of the counter when he entered the kitchen. He had no idea how it had gotten there, given that there was no one else in the room, but it smelled really good and was without a doubt the food he was supposed to bring. Though the platter was not as heavy as he had thought it would be, his arms still hurt badly and were considerably weaker-something he sincerely hoped was not permanent,-forcing him to stop and rest more than once on his trip upstairs and down the hall.

Volsung paused before the last door on the right, which according to the many maps was Vinchezna's study. He swallowed nervously at the thought of having to face the man yet again, but forced himself to set down the tray and open the door. Picking the food back up, he went inside, focusing on the floor in front of him intently, both to make sure he did not trip and to avoid looking at the man who now "owned" him until he absolutely had to.

His heart fell at the thought of lifting the tray enough to set it on the desk Vinchezna sat at, knowing that with his arms-which already ached terribly from just the short trip here,-would not be able to pull it off. But if he didn't, he might make the man angry, though he'd probably be a lot angrier if his dinner got spilled all over him…

Luckily, Volsung was relieved of this burden, as Vinchezna took the platter and set it on the desk himself. "You're late, slave. I've been waiting here for hours."

The boy knew he had not taken that long, but he just bowed his head shamefully. "I-I'm sorry, master." he stuttered quietly, having to force that last part out. "My arms are still very weak, and it was hard to carry…" He stopped there, knowing that if the man wanted to yell at him or torture him, no excuses were going to stop him, no matter how legit they were.

His panic increased when Vinchezna grasped his chin firmly, forcing the boy to look at him. As relieved as he was that his neck had not been the victim of that strong grip this time, it was quickly overshadowed by the fear that flooded through him as he stared at the man's thoughtful expression, unable to read his intentions.

"Maybe I should teach you a lesson, so you'll be on time from now on." he mused casually to himself, making the boy in his grasp whimper. He was about to start crying, when the man spoke again. "Oh, stop your whining-I was only kidding. You actually got here a lot faster than I thought you would." With that, he released him and turned away. "Go…" He paused, trying to decide where to send him next. "Clean the Relic Room until I come and get you."

"Y-yes, master." Volsung replied with a sniffle, leaving the room as fast as he could. The minute he was in the hallway, he let out a sigh of relief and tried to calm down. He had been certain something bad was going to happen to him that time, but he'd managed to escape with out a scratch for a second time. Why hadn't he been hurt yet? Wasn't that the whole reason he'd been brought here?

When his breathing steadied, the thirteen-year-old went to the nearest map and searched for the location of the Relic Room he was to clean. It was downstairs-the first door in the direction of his room. He headed there, wondering what kind of room it was and hoping that it wasn't _too_ messy.

Apparently, luck was still on his side. The Relic Room was small, and while cluttered with various objects and artifacts, everything just seemed to be a bit dusty. There were only a few counters in the octagon-shaped stone room, but that was more than enough to hold the things on the floor. The books would simply have to be stacked up out of the way, since there was nowhere else to put them.

There were some rags sitting around, and he quickly put them to use, scrubbing every single thing that needed it. It took about a half-hour, and once he was done, he started organizing to look neat and manageable. It wasn't such a bad job. The work was fairly easy, and the room was filled with interesting things that looked as though they had been collected from all over Filgaia.

Just as he was finishing stacking the last of the books, one toppled off the top off the pile he was carrying and fell open on the ground. Putting the rest down, he retrieved the book that had fallen and found himself reading it before he could stop himself. It looked to be some kind of journal, perhaps belonging to someone from Vinchezna's family. Details about excavations and ruins littered the pages, suggesting the owner had been some kind of explorer or archeologist, which would explain all the artifacts in the room.

After reading a few pages, Volsung happened upon a familiar name. "Tnaeira…" he whispered. That was the name of the unusual woman he had "met" in Weitzheim! She had seemed pretty sympathetic towards him and had known about the torment Vinchezna had put him through. According to the journal, she was a "witch-woman" who had killed many people. Volsung wondered if that was true, as she had seemed nice enough when they had talked. He had no reason to believe anything he read in this place, but…

That was all the page said about the mysterious woman. Curious to know more, he began leafing through the book, scanning the pages for any further mention of her. He wanted to know who she was and what she had been doing in Weitzheim. The cryptic replies she had given him when he'd asked her those things had done little so sate his curiosity,

He finally found something about her in the final entry of the journal and eagerly started to read, holding the small book close to his face. The faded page was stained with what appeared to be dried blood, and shock coursed through his veins as he realized after just a few sentences that the owner of the journal had been dying. This shock was quickly joined by sheer and utter terror at the sudden sound of that dreaded voice behind him:

"What do you think you're doing?"


End file.
